An Old Friend Returns (Rewritten)
by renny writes
Summary: Obi-Wan and Padme are able to save Anakin from the Dark Side, but they must go into hiding to keep themselves and their children safe as the new Emperor Palpatine searches tirelessly for them. But, Palpatine has a little help from an old friend, who seeks revenge for what Anakin did as Vader. "Love is whatever you can betray, betrayal can only happen if you love"; Rated T Complete!
1. Prologue

**Good evening everyone! I'll be honest, I was planning on posting this in the morning, but I was just too excited and I had to get it published. I'm now revisiting my story from five years ago to clean it up and give it a little more substance! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!**

 **Reviews would make my day. This rewrite has already been about four months in the making and I keep adding more to it everyday. Updates will most likely be a weekly thing, with a two week break every now and then.**

 **Now, without further ado, read on!**

 **Star Wars is not mine.**

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Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter zipped through the Coruscant skyline. The beautiful 500 Republica stood before him. Anxiety gnawed at Obi-Wan as he veered to the left sharply, then to the right. Disobeying a direct order was more Anakin's forte. But even Anakin would feel apprehensive about disobeying Grand Jedi Master Yoda himself.

Anakin. Anakin was the only thing on his mind at that moment. His dearest friend, his brother. His enemy. Obi-Wan still couldn't believe it, but the security holograms did not lie. Anakin killed younglings. Anakin destroyed the Temple. Anakin was a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Obi-Wan shook his head. _No._ _Not yet. I can still save him._

Obi-Wan already knew there was no way he'd be able to kill Anakin. As soon as the words had slipped from Yoda's mouth, he knew it. He just had to bring Anakin back. He had no other choice.

"Padme!" Obi-Wan Kenobi exclaimed, rushing into Padme Amidala's apartment, pushing through her protocol droid See-Threepio. Padme looked up in shock.

"Obi-Wan! You're alive! Thank the Force you're alive!" she exclaimed, wobbling over to her good friend, embracing him. "I just got back from the emergency meeting at the Senate. Bail mentioned to me that you were on the planet."

"Can you believe this!?" she continued, letting him go. "'The First Galactic Empire!' The man is insane! A tyrant! Democracy is dead, and liberty along with it. Peace is no longer achievable. I can't believe I ever called this man a friend. And the Jedi! Obi-Wan, I am so sorry. The Jedi- their blood should not have been spilled over this. I see now that the deception in the senate ran deeper than I could ever have imagined."

"Padme, stop. Do not stress yourself out. There is still a way to fix this. But I need to find Anakin." Obi-Wan took a hold of Padme's forearm. Padme looked up, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"Why? Why do you need to find Anakin?" she asked. Obi-Wan huffed, looking sadly into her eyes.

"You might want to sit down for this." he replied, gesturing to the large couches on the apartment's veranda.

Obi-Wan quickly explained everything: the council's wishes for Anakin to spy on the Chancellor, the arguments, the emotional turmoils of both men, and the discovery of the Sith Lord as well as the Temple's security recordings. Padme gasped, tears streaming down her face.

"That's why he was so angry when you last came over here. That's why he's been so upset. But Obi-Wan, there's no way Anakin played a part in the destruction of the Temple. That's not who he is. He is your family. He would never-" she stopped. _Force, no. Not my Ani._

"Padme." Obi-Wan said firmly. "I need to know where he is. I need to find him."

"You're going to kill him." Padme glared, standing up. "No. I won't let you!"

"Padme, please." Obi-Wan stood up. "I don't want to kill him. You said so yourself a few days ago. I love Anakin, probably not as much as you do, but he is my brother and I don't wish to see him go down this path. I can help him. _We_ can help him." Padme still didn't look convinced.

"I don't hold Anakin accountable for all of this. Palpatine tricked him, lied to him. Palpatine lied to all of us. He has seduced Anakin to the Dark Side. I still don't know what started this downward slope, but I know the day after we returned from rescuing Palpatine, something changed in him." Padme scrunched her eyes closed, holding back more tears. Everything was clicking in her mind.

"It was me!" she exclaimed. "It's my fault!" It was Obi-Wan's turn to be confused.

"He had a dream. A dream where- where I died. I tried to tell him I was okay but he insisted on doing everything he could to help me! And the last time I saw him he said it was all for me! That he had found a way to save me!" Padme buried her face in her hands. Obi-Wan looked over the young senator sympathetically.

"He's the father, isn't he?" Obi-Wan whispered. Padme didn't look up, but she nodded.

"We can still help him, Padme. Tell me where he is. I'll bring him back to you."

"No." she frowned. "No, Obi-Wan. If we're going to do this, we'll do this together."

"So you'll take me to him?" he asked.

"Follow me."

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Darth Vader allowed a smile to spread across his face as he stood on the small balcony of the separatist base. Those Separatist pigs now all laid dead on the floor of the small base, strewn throughout the various conference rooms and offices. He just ended the war. He just brought peace. He just saved the lives of millions. At least that's what his master told him. Lord Sidious was quite pleased with him. This caused Vader to laugh inwardly. _He is planting the seeds of his own demise. As soon as I learn to save Padme, Palpatine will die. Not too much longer with this play-acting and the galaxy will be ours._ He couldn't wait to tell Padme.

But the thought of the deaths of all the children lingered in his mind. He didn't want to think of all the lives he had ended in just one evening. He hated to admit it, but he was disgusted with himself. He _hated_ this new person he had become. Part of him dared to wish he could be Anakin Skywalker again.

 _But I can't. I must save Padme first. This is all for her. I can't lose her._

Padme justified the death of the Jedi. If children had to die so his love could live, so be it. As far as the old Anakin Skywalker was concerned, Darth Vader was Padme's only hope.

Vader was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts as a bright glare hit his eyes. It wasn't from the molten lava rivers below him, but from a Nubian skiff soaring above him. _Padme!_ Vader wasn't even angry that Padme disobeyed his order to stay on Coruscant. He was just glad to see his angel again. He thought momentarily about how excited she would be when she heard about his accomplishments as well as his aspirations. He put his best trademarked Anakin Skywalker grin on and rushed down to the landing pad.

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Padme sniffed again, placing her hand on her forehead trying to calm herself down. Her eyes were raw from the steady flow of tears, which streaked her cheeks. She had let Obi-Wan fly the ship to Mustafar while she rested. The past few days had put so much stress on her, she worried about the baby. She put a hand on her swollen belly and cooed softly to the child that was inside.

"It's not true." she whispered, "It can't be. Not our Ani. We'll fix this. I won't let anything happen to this family."

"Padme." Obi-Wan said softly, standing in the doorway of her private bedchambers. Padme looked up, revealing the face of a woman who's fault lines ran deeper than those of Utapau. One small rumble and she would shatter. "Padme, we've entered the atmosphere."

"Good. Wonderful." she replied, her voice hollow.

"Do we want to even try to devise a plan?" Obi-Wan offered a smile, but Padme offered no response to it.

"In all honesty, I'm more worried about you. The way Anakin was talking, it seemed like he wanted you dead. We have to change his views against the Jedi. He has to see that you're not the real villain in all of this." she said, thoughtfully.

"How can we do that?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Well, leave your weapon up here for starters. And let me do the talking. I know you're the great 'Negotiator' but this is Anakin we're talking about. Just let me explain everything to him. He's been under a lot of stress and we need to take things easy." Padme replied.

"That should work. But Padme, I am worried. What if we can't bring him ba-"

"Don't even say it, Obi-Wan. Anakin needs us. Even the shadow of a doubt will be enough to bring this mission tumbling down. Now tell me: do you believe-truly believe!-that we can save Anakin?"

Obi-Wan could see a flame in Padme's eyes. One that burned with passion. _She really loves him._ he thought. _And who am I kidding? I love him too. I love him far too much just to leave him in darkness._ He looked down, but then back up. He took a deep breath and answered firmly, saying "Yes."

"Then let's go."

Darth Vader stood outside of Padme's ship, waiting eagerly as the landing ramp extended. His lips twitched into a smile as he watched her walk towards him. The smile faded almost immediately, though, as he saw Obi-Wan follow behind her. He scanned the two with his eyes, looking them up and down. Obi-Wan didn't have his lightsaber, which was unusual. _Remember Anakin,_ his old master's voice echoed in his ear, _This weapon is your life_.

He shook the memory away. Obi-Wan and his constant lectures meant nothing to him now. The two Jedi and the senator stood before each other, as if they were all standing before complete strangers. _This war has truly torn us all apart,_ a voice whispered in Vader's mind. He knew that was the _old_ him thinking. Everything would be fine once he had Padme.

"Padme! I saw your ship. Is everything alright? What is _he_ doing here?" Vader exclaimed, pushing past Obi-Wan to embrace his wife. Padme held him close, refusing to let go.

"Ani! I'm so worried! The galaxy is in shambles! Palpatine has destroyed the Republic!" Padme exclaimed, shakily. Vader pulled away from Padme's embrace.

"I know. He has created the Empire to ensure peace. I just ended the war. There is no more confederacy and there is no more republic. We have all been reunited!" Vader smiled proudly.

"But Ani! The Jedi!" Padme frowned.

"They stood in the way of peace. Their ideals were beyond their time. It's time to begin again. _Without_ the Jedi."

"So you did kill them. You killed all of them." Padme stepped back in shock, realizing the truth in Obi-Wan's words. Tears once again found themselves pooling in her eyes. Vader glared, looking past her shoulder to Obi-Wan.

"Is that what _he_ told you?" he ground out.

"Anakin, please. Please, it's time to go. We can start over, run away. All I want is your love. All I want is you."

"But it's not enough to save you, Padme!" he exclaimed. Obi-Wan looked at his old friend, feeling the anger within Anakin fire up. He looked worriedly over to Padme, but stayed silent.

"And taking the lives of innocent children will help you with that!?"she replied. Vader was stunned into silence. "Anakin, I will be fine, as long as you are by my side."

"But my dream-" he started.

"Is exactly that. A dream. This dream is the reason we are here right now. This dream is the reason you're tip-toeing in the Dark Side. But all I need is for you to come back to me."

Vader looked away from Padme, reigning his frustration in. He couldn't be mad at her, not his angel. He still wasn't convinced. Even Palpatine knew that Padme was going to die. He looked over to Obi-Wan, a fire burning in his eyes. He expected to see the same anger and hatred coming from his old master, but was surprised to see warmth and sympathy behind his blue-gray eyes. Vader's expression hardened.

"Anakin, please." Padme said, pulling his eyes back to her. "Please, let's just leave. Let's just go somewhere where we won't be found. We can have this baby and it will grow up with two loving parents by its side."

"But we don't have to hide anymore! I plan to overthrow Palpatine, and the Empire will be ours! We won't have to worry about anything anymore!" Vader replied, smiling. "You and I will rule the galaxy together as we want."

"But that's not what _I_ want. It's what _you_ want. You once told me yourself that the way of the Sith was looking inwards, and thinking only about yourself. I'm starting to see proof of that. I can't live a life like that. I'm starting to believe that my Anakin is gone." Padme looked down, feeling defeated.

"Padme, stop! Let's just go back to Coruscant. I need to finish my training so I can save you and then- then we can leave." Vader said, desperately.

"No, Anakin. I will not be saved by a Sith Lord." she stated, firmly.

"But Palpatine can help!"

"Palpatine is evil!" Padme shouted. Tears sprang into her eyes. _How could he be so blind!?_ "He has taken everything from me! Democracy, the Republic, and now he's going to take the man I love! Can't you see that he's the real villain here! Not Obi-Wan, not the Jedi, not anyone else in the galaxy but him."

There was another moment of silence, save for the sound of Padme sniffling.

"If you go down this path with Palpatine, don't expect me to follow you." Padme stated, frost lining her words, looking at her husband with a cold grimace. Vader looked up in shock.

"You- what?" his brows furrowed in slight confusion. She had to have been joking. She wouldn't leave him. She would never do that! His angel would always be by his side! Right?

"You've destroyed so much, Ani. You've- you killed children and countless Jedi. I just- you've changed. You're not the man I saw come home to me on Coruscant. How can I be in love with you if I _fear_ you?"

"But, but Padme! I _do_ love you! You are _everything_ to me! Please! Don't leave me. I don't mean to scare you! I'm doing this to save you!" Vader pleaded.

"Your fear has blinded you." Obi-Wan murmured. Vader had almost forgotten about his old master standing beside his wife.

" _Excuse me?_ " Vader hissed. Obi-Wan glanced over to Padme, then stepped closer to Vader.

"The future is always in motion, even Palpatine has told you this. But you seem to have forgotten. You're acting as if this is the _only_ way of helping Padme, when really, you're the one hurting her." Obi-Wan said, speaking louder now.

"How _dare_ you!" Vader retorted indignantly. He subtly fingered his lightsaber, ready to ignite it at any second. "Don't tell me tha-!"

"Anakin, he's right!" Padme exclaimed, stepping between the men, holding Vader's arm. "What you're doing is wrong. So wrong that I don't want to get caught up in it. I really should go. Obi-Wan, get the ship ready. I'll be there in a moment."

Padme was surprised Obi-Wan complied. He nodded and walked back to the ship. She turned back to Vader. Not for the first time that night, Padme was surprised. Vader, her Anakin, was crying.

"Please. I- I can't lose you." he said, a tear falling down his cheek.

"Then come with me." Padme said, softening. She wrapped her arms around his neck, brushing some of his unruly hair out of his face.

"I have done terrible things. How can you ever forgive me?" he replied in a strained whisper.

"My love is unconditional. It is here to stay, so long as you accept it." she said softly into is ear. Padme cupped her hands around Vader's cheeks, smiling more than she had that entire day. Her smile was infectious. Vader-no, Anakin Skywalker- offered her a weak smile; his anger melting away, his furnace heart freezing over.

In that moment, husband and wife held each other tighter than ever before. They stood, Padme comforting Anakin-her Ani- as he wept softly. They did not know Obi-Wan watched them from the top of the ramp of the ship, tears in his eyes as well.

He could feel the darkness fleeting, he knew Anakin had been saved. He knew the galaxy had hope. He smiled. _The Jedi were wrong. The darkness is not something to be feared, but to be embraced. Darkness surrounds everything. But it's not invincible, for like everything, it does have a flaw: one candle is enough to hold it at bay. Love,_ Obi-Wan thought, feeling as though his eyes were opening for the first time, _Love is the answer. Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars._

Obi-Wan walked down from the ships ramp. Padme and Anakin had let go of each other. Anakin looked over to his old friend, timidly. Obi-Wan ignored his apprehension though, and pulled Anakin into a tight embrace.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin started, pulling away from his old master. "How could you ever forgive me? The Jedi, they're all you've ever known and I've destroyed them."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan replied softly, "I should be apologizing to you. I shut you out. I should have helped you. I should have asked you what was wrong. I shouldn't have listened to everything the council told me. It was wrong to make you spy on Palpatine and it was wrong of me to scold you so often."

Anakin remained silent, shocked.

"I realize that you feel more deeply than any other Jedi I have ever known. And I've come to realize that I envy you for that. But you have shown me love, and I understand now that it is not an emotion to be ignored. The Jedi were wrong. I see that now."

"But-" Anakin began.

"No, Anakin. Not now. Now we must get off this Force forsaken planet." he looked over to Padme, then back to Anakin. "I'll go prep the ship."

"No." Anakin said, smiling. "No, I want to fly."

Obi-Wan and Padme shared a glance and laughed.

"Welcome back, old friend." Obi-Wan chuckled. "Welcome back."

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Emperor Palpatine frowned. Something was wrong with his new apprentice. No, Vader wasn't hurt. He just wasn't _there_. As if the supernova of darkness and hatred and anger had gone out. Palpatine dug deeper in to the Force, but he still couldn't feel him. He knew Vader wasn't dead, he would know. This was something different entirely. He dispatched a patrol to Mustafar. He decided he would not join them, he had yet to go through the wreckage that was the Jedi Temple.

He stepped over the petite body of a young twi'lek, slightly smiling. His plan had worked. He was now the ruler of the universe, and with or without the so-called "Chosen One" he was going to continue to rule it. Skywalker could be dealt with later. For now, he would enjoy his new Empire.

Palpatine stopped, suddenly. Something felt... off. Someone, somewhere in the temple was angry. Palpatine could feel the _rage_. He _loved_ it.

"Sir?" a clone trooper approached him.

"I wish to see something. Follow me." he replied.

The small group walked through the hallways. Scorch marks lined the walls, bodies of Jedi old and young littered the floor. Palpatine followed the darkness to a long hallway filled with quarters, mostly of Master/Padawan teams. Palpatine turned to a door that had been blasted open. A plaque sat beside the door frame, blackened by rubble. It simply read "Skywalker/Tano". As Palpatine entered, he was surprised to find a small Togruta girl, still alive. She was in rough shape: she was barely breathing. _Hatred_ pulsed through her body. She was _enraged_. Palpatine closed his eyes, feeling through the Dark Side to see just what had happened here.

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The setting around changed around Palpatine. He was in the same spot, but everything looked cleaner and less blackened. Before him stood Darth Vader and a few clone troopers.

 _"She's barricaded herself in the room, sir!" a clone sergeant exclaimed. Darth Vader huffed, exasperated._

 _"Jedi coward!" he mumbled. "Blast it open!"_

 _The clone sergeant threw a small detonator against the door, which immediately blew the door away. Vader and several clone troopers stepped through the debris. The young togruta stood in a doorway to a bedroom. Vader could tell she was clearly hiding more younglings in the room._

 _"You get the others," Vader commanded, turning to the clones. "I'll take care of her."_

 _Vader jumped forward, igniting his lightsaber. The togruta parried Vader's strike, pushing him aside with surprising strength. It got the girl distracted enough that the clones slipped through the doorway and into the other room. The girl cringed as shots echoed from the other room._

 _"What have you done!?" she yelled, barely blocking a stab at her abdomen. "How could you do this!"_

 _"You don't understand, Ahsoka." Vader grunted, trying to overpower the young girl. "This is necessary. You're defending these traitors, which makes you a traitor yourself."_

 _"How dare you! Anakin, I trusted you!" Ahsoka cried_

 _"The Jedi were wrong! They know nothing about the Force! They've brainwashed you! I'm sorry Ahsoka. I was too late to save you. You're too set in their ways. I must destroy you."_

 _"You're kriffing insane!" She shook her head, frowning._

 _The two continued to fight fiercely. Ahsoka backed into Anakin's old room, and began to use the Force to throw various objects at him. Vader used the Force to throw the objects back, catching Ahsoka off guard. She jumped back behind his cot, and Vader jumped on top of it. Ahsoka had cut herself off from the exit, and she knew it. Her eyes narrowed into slits, tears pooling in her eyes._

 _"I can't believe this!" She cried. "You were my friend! Is this how it really has to be?"_

 _Anakin simply raised his lightsaber in response. Ahsoka huffed, frustrated. She lifted a large crate from behind her, and threw it at Vader, taking the opportunity to get him off of the high ground. She jumped over the bed and their lightsabers connected, energy almost pushing them apart. Ahsoka grimaced as Vader pushed away. Before she could jump back further, Vader slashed sloppily at Ahsoka, who immediately responded with a cry of anguish as both of her hands fell to the ground, her lightsabers still grasped in each severed limb. Vader caught her in a chokehold before she had a chance to say something else. He threw her out of the bedroom where she landed with a loud thud and a grunt. She moaned softly._

 _Vader walked into the living area where Ahsoka now laid. He looked her over, frowning. He found that the Anakin Skywalker part of him just couldn't finish it. Vader was enraged by Anakin's cowardice, but nonetheless, he turned to one of the clones._

 _"Finish her." He ordered, motioning his head in her direction. Behind him, he heard her grunt louder. He turned to her._

 _"You coward! You selfish scug!" She snarled._

 _Vader turned away and started to head for the door. Ahsoka came round from her daze, her eyes tinting as anger welled within her. It was then that dark energy suddenly surrounded the young girl, as tears of rage ran down her face._

 _"ARGH! I-_ _ **I HATE YOU**_ _!" She shrieked. Vader only paused for a moment in the doorway, his frown deepening. He then shook his head and walked out of the door, not even looking back as he heard the shot ring through the ominously silent hallways._

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Palpatine opened his eyes, allowing himself a malicious grin.

"You!" he called to a near by officer, "Get a medical capsule immediately. We'll take her to my personal MedCenter." The officer ran off in search of a capsule.

Palpatine walked over to the girl, sitting beside her. She gasped for air, but found she was able to speak.

"He's- trait'r." she coughed, "Chanc'lor! No- mm- no."

"Hush, child," Palpatine chided. "Skywalker will be stopped. You can help me hunt him down. I shall not rest until he is brought back to me. He can't hide forever."

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Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan were already long gone, on Onderon where they were able to meet with Senator Bail Organa and Master Yoda, who had narrowly escaped a duel with the new Emperor. Somber smiles were passed between old friends.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka Tano was buckled to an uncomfortable metal table as various droids poked and prodded around her cauterized lightsaber wounds.

Anakin spent time in meditation with Master Yoda, both visited with a premonition: Anakin would defeat Palpatine and the galaxy would once again be at peace. But it wouldn't be for years. Anakin came to the conclusion that he would wait until the time was right, because all that mattered to him now was his family.

Ahsoka stood by the Emperor, testing her new prosthetic hands. The Emperor informed her of Skywalker's escape. She had come to believe the Jedi _were_ wrong, and that, in order to keep from getting hurt, the only person one should look out for was themselves. It was then Ahsoka decided to become Palpatine's new apprentice, to gain more power to eventually crush the very man who had crushed her.

Ahsoka was then put in charge of the Emperor's league of Force-using assassins known throughout the galaxy as Inquisitors. They had just begun their search for the Skywalker family. The last of the Jedi continued to be picked off one by one.

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As the old friends bid each other farewell on Onderon, Anakin approached Obi-Wan, who was packing up a small shuttle that Bail had given him.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin said, somewhat timidly. Obi-Wan looked up at his old friend and smiled.

"Yes Anakin? What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Well, where are you going? I mean, Bail's staying on Alderaan, Yoda's going to Dagobah, and we're going to Iego? What about you?"

"Hm." Obi-Wan shrugged. "I'm not quite sure yet."

"Why don't you come with Padme and I? We'll be pretty busy once the kid shows up, and we'll need all the help we can get, just until you figure out where you want to go." Anakin suggested, trying to suppress a smile. Obi-Wan chuckled.

"I should like that very much, Anakin. Besides, exile and meditation is more Yoda's style than mine." he replied. Anakin laughed.

"Then let's get going!" Anakin said, slapping a hand on Obi-Wan's back as the two moved towards the Nubian yacht they knew they'd have to ditch as soon as they got off-world.

"Yes. But Anakin?" Obi-Wan stopped. Anakin looked back at his friend, his brother.

"Yeah, Master?"

"Why don't you let me fly this time?"

Anakin, for the first time that week, genuinely grinned at his old master. He laughed, shaking his head, and continued walking towards the ship. Obi-Wan still stood there looking confused.

"What? I wasn't joking!" he called out to his friend, breaking into a jog to catch up. The two men boarded the ship, where Padme had already been waiting, and they took off.

They took off into the galaxy, one that had now become more dangerous than ever before. But they were not afraid, because they had each other to cling to when things got frightening. They had love for one another, giving each other strength to fight for another day.

That was the true power of the Force.


	2. A Day in the Life

**Here we go with an update! Enjoy!**

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"Yeah, that one. Thanks, Artoo." Anakin Skywalker said, from under a small land speeder. He rolled out and grabbed the hydrospanner being offered to him.

His appearance had changed a bit since he and his family had settled on Iego around six years ago. He had managed to grow his hair out a bit more, enough to where he had it held back by a low ponytail. Padme hated it, so he was constantly subject to mockery. The fact of the matter was that he really didn't _need_ to change the way he looked. He wasn't paranoid; they had managed to dodge any side-ways glances from strangers and could successfully throw people off should the "hey, you look like that senator and Skywalker guy!" conversation get started. He would never admit to Padme and Obi-Wan, though, he simply _liked_ his new style.

He was quickly pulled out of his thoughts, as a few sparks flew down from the thruster he was working on. Artoo chirped and beeped in amusement.

"Can it." Anakin replied, scoffing. He rolled out from under the speeder and sat up.

"I'm calling it a day." he stated, looking over at his astromech. Another chirp from Artoo earned an eye roll from Anakin.

"I _know_ it's only fifteen-hundred. But this thing doesn't need to be done for another three rotations, and I'm sure Padme would enjoy the surprise." he grinned, mischievously. Artoo beeped indignantly.

"You know what? Why am I even listening to you! You're my droid for kriff's sake! I should be the one ordering you around!" he retorted, still smiling. A series of beeps and boops came as a reply. Anakin's eyes widened in surprise.

"You better not talk like that in front of the kids, little buddy. Padme would definitely have you deactivated." he said gravely, with a hint of humor. "Come on, let's go."

They both walked out of the small garage that Anakin had come to own. He had Jaybo Hood to thank for that, after he left the system a few years prior in order to travel across the galaxy. He often wondered how the kid was doing. Anakin chuckled, shaking his head. He locked it, and began walking towards his own speeder. He was intercepted, however, by a tall Twi'Lek male.

"Hey, Jerrick!" the Twi'Lek called out, waving. Anakin stopped and grinned, now used to being called by his fake name: Jerrick Denal.

"Dreks? I thought you all were still on vacation!" he exclaimed, walking toward his friend.

"Yeah, well, you can thank that damned Empire for that," he replied. "The kids are pretty disappointed."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Anakin shook his head. More and more systems were being infiltrated by the Empire. Check points were being set up everywhere now. Non-humans were often sent back to where they had come from, a part of new 'protocols' that the Empire had put in place.

"Hey, why don't you and the family come around tomorrow night? It sure isn't Glee Anselm, but we could keep the kids entertained for a while. Luke and Leia would enjoy having Myra, Tasha, and Zev over." Anakin raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, that- that would be good!" Dreks replied, nodding. His comlink then went off. "Oh, that would be Shanna."

"So tomorrow?" Anakin asked. "Say eighteen-hundred?"

"That would work perfectly. See you then!"

Anakin walked away to his speeder, which Artoo had already started, waiting impatiently for his owner to return. Anakin hopped in and rode off. Meanwhile, Dreks walked over to his own speeder and clicked a button on his comlink.

"Report." a loud female voice demanded.

"It's him." he replied shakily. "I'm sure of it."

"Good. You've done well."

"An-and what of my family?" he stuttered.

"All in good time, as soon as Skywalker is in my custody." the voice hissed, and the communication was cut from her side.

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"No." Padme Skywalker said firmly. She stood before her two children, her arms crossed and a frown on her face.

"But mom-" the young Luke Skywalker started.

"No." Padme repeated.

"It would be-" young Leia Skywalker cut in.

"No. In what universe is it a good idea to put a jetpack on a lothcat!?" she exclaimed.

"But Gucci is okay with it!" Leia exclaimed.

"Darling, Gucci is an animal. And I have a funny feeling he would agree with me on this." she replied. Just then, Obi-Wan Kenobi walked into the small kitchen. He observed the situation quickly: Padme standing by the sink, Luke stood in front of her with the family pet with a small turbine engine strapped to its back, and Leia stood next to her twin brother with her arms crossed just like her mother. He quickly decided he didn't want to be a part of it, and turned to leave. He wasn't quick enough.

"Obi-Wan!" Padme called, a smile of relief appeared on her face. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and turned on heels back into the kitchen.

"Please explain to Luke and Leia that putting a jetpack on Gucci is a terrible idea." she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Erm, well. It's not exactly up to me, uh." he trailed off.

"Oh, come on Uncle Ben!" Luke whined. "You can help! You can be our _pernental superkitchen_." He added, scrunching up his face as he attempted to say the large words.

"I thank you for the invitation, young Luke, but I think I will pass up on your offer. _Parental supervision_ has never been one of my favorite jobs." Obi-Wan smiled, winking at the young boy.

"However, I do believe in this situation, it would be best to listen to your mother." he finished, nodding his head. Padme smiled in satisfaction as the children's faces drooped in disappointment. Suddenly, the front door slid open and Anakin stepped through.

"Hello? Anybody home?" he yelled through the house. Luke dropped the poor lothcat, the homemade jetpack clattering on the ground. Gucci screeched and ran out of the kitchen. Luke and Leia ran out of the kitchen as well, through the living area and to the front entry way.

"Daddy!" Leia squealed, running to her father's arms. Anakin grinned as he scooped his daughter up. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"What about me!" Luke exclaimed, tugging at his father's pant leg. Anakin smiled and set Leia down, only to have Luke throw his arms around him. Anakin let out an 'oof!'

"I've still gotta teach you patience, don't I?" he said, catching his breath. Padme walked into the entry way, a smile on her face. Anakin caught her gaze and beamed. He set Luke down, not taking his eyes off of Padme.

"Ani, you're not supposed to be home for another three hours," Padme said, shaking her head. Anakin raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, so I should just go back to work?" he joked. Padme laughed as the children cried in protest.

"Well, as long as you're home, I suppose you could-" she was interrupted mid sentence as her husband's lips collided with hers, and she was pulled into a tight embrace.

"Bleck!" Leia scowled, turning to walk back down the hallway. Luke scrunched up his face in disgust as he followed his sister. Padme pulled away, somewhat unwillingly.

"That should buy us some time." Anakin grinned as Obi-Wan appeared in the doorway.

"Anakin. And what excuse do you have for coming home early today?" he asked, raising a sarcastic eyebrow.

"Ah, Master," Anakin started, chuckling, "I'm disappointed. I would think you'd be more excited to see me." Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and walked back into the kitchen. Anakin and Padme followed.

Not a day went by when Anakin didn't appreciate Obi-Wan's decision to remain on Iego. Obi-Wan usually stayed with the children in the house, while Padme would go out and work on docks, taking inventories of supplies. She was often home by mid afternoon. Obi-Wan didn't really need to stay, the Skywalkers had everything under control. But, as Obi-Wan had come to realize those six years ago, he had no where to go. And when people have no where else to go, they tend to just stay where they are. So he did.

It was a nice house: two stories with four bedrooms, a large kitchen, an office space that acted as a toy room, a large living area, and a large backyard. All with a gorgeous view of the city of Cliffhold. Iego had become much more popular since the early days of the Empire. It was well hidden in the Outer Rim, the perfect hideaway from Imperials. Of course, it was just getting started, there was no real government. Everyone was free to come and go as they pleased. Smugglers were really the only ones that dropped by, taking a break from their line of work. There had yet to be an Imperial presence on Iego, which was a good thing for the Skywalkers. Still, they were prepared to abandon their lovely home should the Empire come knocking on their door.

The smell of a roast shaak filled the kitchen as it sat cooking in the oven. Anakin grinned, proud to see that his wife's cooking had improved to a point where she could probably best him. Padme continued to work on dinner as Anakin finished washing dishes. Luke and Leia soon came running into the kitchen, causing even more commotion.

"Is dinner ready yet? I'm starving!" Luke whined.

"Luke, what did I say about using that phrase?" Padme said, sternly. Her years of working with refugees and the impoverished causing her to cringe at the use of that hyperbole. Luke huffed.

"I shouldn't because there are people who don't get to eat tonight." he replied, looking down. Padme nodded.

"But we're bored." Leia stated. "We don't know what to do, since you won't let us put a jetpack on Gucci."

Padme ignored the surprised "what?" from Anakin and bent over to her children's height.

"And I don't regret making that decision. Why don't you two take daddy into the play room and play some games?" Padme said, looking up to Anakin, who nodded.

"Sure, come on kids." he said, leading the twins into the next room. Leia sat down at a small easel sitting by a bay window.

"Daddy, I wanna draw." she stated.

"What do you want to draw, Princess?" Anakin raised an eyebrow, sitting against one of the walls by a bookshelf.

"I don't know." she replied, looking flustered. Anakin chuckled.

Luke sat down next to his father, who put his arm around him.

"What about you, Luke? What do you want to do?" he asked.

"I want you to tell me another story." he said, looking up into his father's matching blue eyes.

"But I think I've told you just about every story I've got!" Anakin said, thoughtfully, a story coming to mind. "Maybe I've got one more for you."

"It was just another mission for the Jedi, Obi-Wan falling behind as usual," Anakin started.

"You know Uncle Ben always says that you were the one always falling behind," Leia said matter-of-factly. Anakin smiled.

"Anyway, this mission occurred on..." he trailed off, thinking hard, "Oh yes! Felucia!"

"You see," he continued, "Obi-Wan, my apprentice, and I had to make an emergency landing-"

"You mean crash landing?" Leia remarked, now busily drawing what looked like Gucci the family Lothcat.

"Do you want to tell the story?" Anakin replied.

"Daddy, when do I get to be a Jedi?" Luke looked up to his father, who returned a look of surprise.

"I- uh." Anakin stopped. Of course he had shared his stories of being a Jedi, and Padme and Obi-Wan did the same thing.

Anakin knew his children were strong with the Force, it made it that much harder to hide from the Emperor. Luke had shown a specific interest in becoming a Jedi. Anakin often caught Luke trying to levitate various objects. The Skywalkers had given the children a very watered down version of what had happened to the Jedi, basically saying that the Empire thought they were the "bad guys" so they had to go into "hiding". Luke and Leia knew nothing of what happened that night, and Anakin never wanted them to.

"Luke, I don't know." Anakin said, somberly, "I'm sorry."

"But Daddy, why are you sorry?" Luke raised an eyebrow. Anakin looked away from Luke. Obi-Wan stepped into the playroom, smiling warmly.

"Dinner is ready. Your mother wants you two to wash up." he said. Leia got up from her easel and walked over to Obi-Wan. Luke got up hesitantly, seeing his father hadn't moved.

"Go on, Luke." Obi-Wan added, sensing Anakin's distress. Luke got up and walked over to his "uncle". Obi-Wan looked over to his dear friend.

"Anakin?" he smiled sadly.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm coming."

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 _"So that's all I am now? Just 'your apprentice'? I don't even have a name." her voice called to him. Anakin opened his eyes to see he was back in the Jedi Temple, the bodies of hundreds of Jedi all around him. Slaughtered by his hand._

 _"Ahsoka?" Anakin cried._

 _"No! You don't get to speak!" she shouted, stepping out of the shadows. She looked so ghostly, so dark._

 _"You hide the pain you caused, not taking the blame. You are a liar! A hypocrite! Your children don't know what kind of monster you are. You don't deserve the family you have." There was venom in her words._

 _"Please, Ahsoka! Please!" Anakin begged, as he always did._

 _"I'm dead because of you! You left me to die! And you didn't even have the courage to face me and do it yourself. You're no better than Dooku."_

 _"Ahsoka-"_

 _"Coward! Look at what you've done!" she gestured to the dead Jedi around them._

 _"I know." Anakin replied, barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry."_

 _"Prove it."_

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Anakin woke up, seeing he was still in his bed, Padme still sleeping beside him. He looked at the clock at his bedside. _0243._ He sighed.

It was the same thing every night. He was always back the Jedi Temple, looking upon the damage he had caused. Ahsoka was always there, speaking to him, taunting him. It seemed that every night, she would get angrier and angrier. Obi-Wan had told him that some spirits end up in a limbo of sorts when the circumstances of their death was hard to come to terms with. It made sense to Anakin, but it also made him feel worse. _I'm what's keeping her from truly becoming one with Force._

Guilt swept over Anakin. It was as if every night he was sent to his own personal hell, forced to look at what he had done those years ago. He often woke up feeling dirty, completely disgusted with himself. Padme knew of the nightmares, but not of the details.

 _"It wasn't you. It was Vader."_ she always said, trying to give him an encouraging smile. But it always seemed fake.

It never made him feel better anyway. _He_ was Vader. No matter what, they were the same person. No matter what, he was the one who brought the Jedi Order to its knees. And now a Dark Empire ruled over the galaxy while he and his perfect family remained hidden and untouched.

Anakin rolled over, adjusting the blankets around him. He had to try to get more sleep. _Today is another day._ he thought, forcing his eyes shut, praying the Force would spare him from those horrid nightmares.

Apparently, the Force didn't hear his request.

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 **Reviews are appreciated!**


	3. From Good to Bad

**Here's chapter two! Starting to kick this thing up into high gear!**

 **I own none of this.**

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Padme Skywalker opened her eyes slowly as the scent of nuna eggs and sausage floated through the room. She smiled as she sat up in her bed, taking note of Anakin's absence. She stretched, looking out the window to see the sun shining. To her, it seemed to be the perfect morning... and then Luke and Leia ran into the room.

"Mama! You're up!" Luke exclaimed, jumping up onto the bed. Padme sighed, pulling Leia up next to her.

"Good morning, my Darlings. Did Daddy make breakfast for you two?" she asked, wrapping her arms around her children, pulling them close.

"Uh huh. He made breakfast for you too." Luke said, looking up at his mother with big blue eyes.

"I see. And, did Daddy tell you to come get me?" Padme raised her eyebrows. Luke and Leia looked at each other, Leia biting her lip and Luke frowning.

"Well," Leia started. Padme contained her amusement. "Not exactly."

Padme smiled.

"But he did say your breakfast is ready! We just didn't want it to get cold before you had a chance to eat it!" Leia continued, innocently.  
"Well, I thank you for the consideration. Why don't you two head back down there and I'll be around in a bit?" Padme reasoned, shooing Luke and Leia out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Padme sighed, shaking her head. She walked over to her closet and pulled out a robe to go over her nightgown. Her closet here was substantially smaller than the one she had on Coruscant, and the various outfits that filled the closet were definitely not as elegant as the ones she would wear in the Senate. She did not have many clothes, since they had to leave in such a hurry. A few simple pant and tunic outfits, a single party dress, and two or three nightgowns were all that had filled the closet. Padme was fine with it. It was better that way anyway, if they ever had to high-tail it off of Iego, they wouldn't want to have to lug all of their belongings off planet. Padme shook the thought out of her head, tightening the belt on the robe. She turned out of the closet and continued downstairs into the kitchen. Their she was met with Anakin standing over the small stove. A smile flashed across Padme's face as she wrapped her arms around her husband.

"Good morning, Angel." Anakin said softly, his body vibrating against Padme's petit hands.

"Good morning, Ani. I hear you made some breakfast?" she chuckled. Anakin turned around, surprised, and then rolled his eyes.

"I told them _not_ to wake you!" he groaned, looking past Padme and into the living room where Luke and Leia sat watching some random holovid they had picked out.

"No, they didn't wake me at all. It was more your cooking that got me up." Padme replied, peeking around Anakin's shoulder to see what he was making. Anakin smiled.

"Yours is in the oven." he moved out of the way to pull the small plate out of the oven. "I also made some caf. Obi-Wan went for a walk, and I figured he'd be wanting some when he gets back."

"Of course." Padme sat down with her nuna eggs, sausage, and a small biscuit while Anakin finished making some extra for Obi-Wan. He then sat down next to Padme, grabbing hold of his datapad to check the news.

Anakin sighed, seeing that the only news he'd be reading today was on how wonderful Emperor Palpatine is and how great their new battle station was coming along. Anakin shook his head.

"Have you heard anything about Bail lately?" he asked, looking over at Padme. She raised an eyebrow.

"Not really. He hasn't been saying much in the Senate. But then again, when do any senators get a say in the Senate?" she replied, coolly.

"And what of the rebellion?" Anakin persisted.

"There is no rebellion, Ani. Just a few groups of people who think they're in a place where they could take on the entire Empire." she said, frowning. "I told Bail to lay low, and he starts a rebel cell. He's just as bad as you are at following directions."

Anakin grimaced. He knew Padme didn't enjoy talking about the rebellion, and, well, it made him sad. It was as if she had lost her spark. It made Anakin angry sometimes. But it wasn't Padme who made him angry, it was Palpatine, and in many cases, he himself. He and Palpatine had taken everything from them. For Padme, it was the Senate and Democracy. For Obi-Wan, it was the Jedi. For Luke and Leia, though they didn't know it, it was their future. And for Anakin, it was his own freedom. As much as Anakin enjoyed being a family man, he truly missed action. In hiding, there's no reckless piloting, no lightsaber duels, no chances to live on the edge.

A tug at his elbow pulled him out of his thoughts. Anakin looked over to see Luke standing beside him.

"What's up, Luke?" Anakin smiled, setting Luke on his lap.

"Can we go outside?" he asked, bouncing up and down on Anakin's knee. Anakin looked over at Padme, who smiled and nodded. Anakin looked back down at Luke.

"I don't see why not." Anakin replied, swinging Luke around, putting him back on the ground. "Go on and get some shoes on. I'll be right there." Luke nodded, grinning as he ran out of the kitchen.

"What about you, Leia? Do you want to go outside with Luke and Daddy?" Padme called into the living room. Leia looked over to her mother, pursing her lips contemplatively.

"Nah," she said after a moment, looking back to the holovid. Anakin shrugged as Padme chuckled to herself.

"Her loss," Aankin said simply, walking out of the kitchen and to the small had already managed to put his shoes on and was now standing at the front door.

"Come on!" Luke exclaimed, as Anakin pulled his boots on. Anakin chuckled.

"You know you have my lack of patience, right?"

"You never let me forget," his son grumbled, pulling at the door handle. Anakin finally walked over and opened the door.

Luke broke into a run and rushed out into the front lawn. Anakin followed, watching as Luke ran around the small garden Obi-Wan kept. Before Anakin could stop him, Luke ran up and hit him on the leg, yelling "Tag!" as he passed. Anakin grinned, shaking his head, breaking into a jog.

"Shouldn't have done that, kid!"

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"What about that one?" Luke asked, pointing over to a large ship landing in one of the small spaceports. The father/son duo laid in the grass, watching ships come and go, still catching their breath after an intense game of tag. Anakin huffed.

"That's gotta be a scavenger ship. See the arms that come off the sides? Those are for picking at space junk. It's definitely Trandoshian." he replied, resting his head on the grass, closing his eyes.

Luke nodded, not willing to admit that he didn't understand what his father was talking about. Besides, another ship had caught his attention. It was very large, and it had a funny triangle shape to it. Luke allowed and awestruck "woah" to escape his lips.

"Dad! Daddy! Look at that one! What kind of ship is that one!" Luke cried, shaking Anakin's shoulder. Anakin opened his eyes, expecting to be met with a beautiful Corellian ship owned my some famous person who needed to fuel up. He found the opposite.

Above them, a smaller model of the Imperial Star Cruiser sat over Cliffhold. Anakin's eyes widened in fear. He could feel a lump forming in his throat. He could barely breath. _Darkness. Hate. Revenge._ Someone evil was here. And they were coming for _him_. There was no hiding from this person.

"Kriff." he said aloud. Luke gasped.

"Daddy! Mama hates it when you say that word!" Luke exclaimed. But Anakin didn't hear him.

"Kriff," he said again. "Kriff, Luke get inside _now_."

Luke still sat, confused. Anakin huffed, jumping up and grabbing Luke. He ran into the house. Obi-Wan was sitting at the table drinking a cup of caf, Leia hadn't moved an inch, and Padme was working on the breakfast dishes. Padme and Obi-Wan looked up, wondering what was going on.

"They're here. They've found us. They're here." Anakin said, panic lining his words. Padme dropped the plate she was cleaning, and Obi-Wan blinked.

"No." Padme shook her head.

"Padme, take the children to the hiding place." Obi-Wan said calmly, standing up.

"No!" Padme exclaimed, terrified as tears brimmed her eyes. Anakin stepped over to his wife, embracing her.

"Padme, it's okay. Don't panic. Just like we practiced it, remember." Anakin coaxed, Padme grasping him tighter and tighter.

"No, Ani, not again. I can't have you taken away from me again." she whimpered.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan whispered, "there is little time."

"Think of Luke and Leia, Angel. I need you to be brave for them. I want you to take them downstairs into the cellar. You remember the code to get inside the safe room, don't you?"

Padme sniffed and nodded.

"Good. Go on down there. I won't be too long." Anakin said. He pulled her into a passionate kiss, then let her go. Luke and Leia followed her down into the cellar, where they disappeared behind a wall. He looked back over to Obi-Wan.

"This isn't going to be good. Whoever this guy is, he's Force Sensitive. Much more powerful than those Inquisitors we've been hearing about." Anakin said, solemnly.

"Then we'll have to be ready." Obi-Wan replied. He walked over to a small drawer and pulled their lightsabers out, tossing one to Anakin. Anakin looked down thoughtfully.

"Maybe you should go down there with Padme and the kids. It's me they want. They don't even know you're here with us." he said. "I need someone to take care of them."

Tears threatened to fall from Anakin's eyes. Obi-Wan smiled sadly.

"If I stay, we can overpower whoever this is and then get out of here, with all of us still together. I say it's worth a shot." he said, firmly.

Before Anakin could reply, there was loud banging on the front door. The two men looked up in alarm, igniting their lightsabers. The door was blown off its hinges as a number of stormtroopers piled into the entryway.

Anakin and Obi-Wan were surrounded. They continued to deflect blaster bolts, taking stormtroopers out one by one. But it seemed that with every trooper cut down, three more appeared.

"Enough!" a loud voice boomed from down the hall. It was female, and her words were venomous. The loud _click-clack_ of boots could be heard approaching them.

The dust finally settled in the room where Anakin and Obi-Wan could see, their lightsabers still raised. Though Anakin soon found that he had dropped his. _No._ She was a tall woman. But the fact that she was a woman didn't surprise Anakin, nor the fact that she was a _Togrutan_ Imperial Officer in an anti-alien army. No, what surprised Anakin Skywalker the most was that he was looking into the dulled eyes of his old padawan learner, Ahsoka Tano.

"Wha-?" Anakin wasn't even able to get the word out, as he soon found he couldn't breath. It took a moment for it to register in his mind: Ahsoka had pulled him into a Force choke.

"Finally." she hissed. "Six years of scouring this wretched galaxy have paid off." She slammed Anakin to the ground and looked back at the multiple storm troopers behind her.

"We have finally found Anakin Skywalker." Ahsoka smiled, maliciously. " _And_ Obi-Wan Kenobi! My, this is unexpected. But don't get me wrong, the surprise is quite pleasant."

"I wish we could say the same." Obi-Wan replied, frowning. "What do you think you're doing, Ahsoka?"

"Admiral Tano!" she snapped. "You will address me as _Admiral_ Tano."

"Bu-but how!" Anakin cried, still on the ground. Ahsoka grimaced.

"The Dark Side is quite powerful. You knew this, Skywalker. You were so close to embracing it completely. But you walked away. I stand by my words from that night. You're nothing but a sniveling coward. I only wish Lord Sidious didn't want you alive so I could kill you myself." she replied, coldly. She used the Force to call Anakin's lightsaber to her as he tried to reach it. Anakin winced as he noticed her new prosthetic hands.

"So, shall we be doing this the easy way or the hard way?" she clucked.

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"I want the house scanned." Ahsoka said to one stormtrooper standing beside her. "By the looks of it, these two aren't the only ones living here. We might find the old Senator from Naboo hiding somewhere."

"Yes, sir!" the trooper replied, running out of the house to get the scanning equipment. Ahsoka turned back to Anakin and Obi-Wan thoughtfully.

The two men were now cuffed and kneeling before her, two stormtroopers with blasters set at stun were pointed at their heads. Ahsoka smiled, feeling Anakin's anxiety. _I'm on to you. You can't all hide from me._

"Aren't I right, Skywalker? Surely Padme's around here somewhere. I know you wouldn't leave any system without her." she said, mockingly. Anakin frowned.

"Don't even speak her name!" he yelled, earning him a smack on the head with a blaster. She chuckled.

"Of course. You know, you always did defend that little nuna hen. You would worship the ground she walked on. I'm sure she has something to do with how utterly weak you are."

Anakin simply glared at her in reply. Ahsoka let out a "hmph", and turned to a stormtrooper.

"Admiral, we found three lifeforms downstairs, hidden behind a hollow wall of some sort." he reported. Ahsoka ignored a loud "No!" from Anakin.

"Very good. Tear the wall down. I'll be there momentarily. You two!" she called to the troopers behind Anakin and Obi-Wan.

"I want them knocked out and put on my ship. I want to be off this rock by noon, so make it snappy." she turned away and began walking down the stairs.

The troopers nodded. Obi-Wan was down in one shot, unconscious. Anakin, however, continued to try to stand up, even after two shots.

"No! Stop! Ahsoka!" he cried. Ahsoka turned around, pulling Anakin into another Force Choke.

"Did I _not_ make myself _clear_?" she replied. "It's _Admiral._ "

With a flick of her wrist, Anakin was thrown into a wall, finally knocking him unconscious. The two stormtroopers proceeded to carry them out to the cruiser as Admiral Tano descended the stairs to meet the rest of the Skywalker family.

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 **Drop a quick review if you can!**


	4. Bad to Worse

**Here we go with Chapter 3! I'm appreciating all of the views, favorites, and follows that this story is getting! I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am!**

 **One thing I would like to explain: a guest reviewer mentioned that perhaps Anakin and Obi-Wan came a little to quickly. Here was my logic when I was writing this: first of all, Anakin said it himself that it was as if Padme had lost that spark. I promise you, our favorite spunky senator will be back to her old, confident self soon enough. But also, becoming a family has shown Anakin and Padme that they can't take all of the risks that they used to. Anakin was willing to surrender on behalf of his family, to keep them safe. That's why they seemed to be captured so easily.**

 **I hope I cleared it up! Enjoy Chapter 3! Drop a review if you can!**

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"Mama? What's going on?" Luke looked over to his teary eyed mother.

The three of them were sitting in a small hidden room. It was very empty, containing a few benches, with a cabinet holding some rations and blankets. A dim light kept the room somewhat illuminated. Padme looked at her son, then her daughter.

"I-I don't know. We must be quiet, Luke." she replied silently.

"But what about daddy and Uncle Ben?" he persisted. Padme sniffed.

"We must have faith." she said, moving to the same bench as her children, wrapping her arms around their shoulders. Luke and Leia exchanged a confused glance, not knowing what was really going on.

Suddenly, there was a noise at the wall where the hidden entrance was. It was, at first, a slight tapping. Then, it turned into a loud banging. Padme stood up, still grasping the twins' shoulders.

"Get behind me and stay there." she ordered, pushing them behind her so they might be somewhat out of sight. She began to fear the worst for Anakin.

A bright beam of scarlet burst through the wall. It moved in a circle, creating a large hole. It took every ounce of strength in Padme to not scream or cry. She had to be brave, for Luke and Leia. For Anakin and Obi-Wan. The circle cut by the lightsaber was pushed away, revealing a tall figure. A togruta.

"Well, well! What have we got here?" a voice called. One that Padme immediately recognized.

"No." she whispered. Ahsoka chuckled.

"And _who_ are _they_? Tano continued, looking at Luke and Leia, hidden behind Padme. "I knew Skywalker was reckless, but to go as far to have a few kids? Interesting."

"Where are Obi-Wan and Anakin? What have you done!" Padme said, driving Ahsoka's attention away from the children.

"Oh, yes. No worries. They're fine, for now. Once we're on Coruscant, that will be changed I assure you." she replied. "Emperor Palpatine will be very excited to see you all. Come on, get moving." she waved them out of the room. Ahsoka shoved Padme forward, separating her from the twins.

"No!" she cried, turning around in protest. She was met with the butt end of a stormtrooper's blaster, knocking her to the ground.

Now young Leia Skywalker, who had just reached the age of six, had a beautiful mix of her mother's courage to stand up for what's right and her father's will to do anything possible to protect those she loved. She, with fierce determination stepped before the tall togruta, glaring at her.

"Don't hurt her!" she yelled. Ahsoka sneered, pulling the young girl into a durasteel grip. Leia lost the daring look, gazing fearfully into the dull blue eyes before her.

"Listen, kid." Ahsoka spat. "You don't tell me what to do. I'll be the one ordering people around. Now be a good little girl and get up against the wall."

"L-Leia, listen to her. Do as she says." Padme said softly, getting up off the ground. Leia only puffed up her chest and stuck her chin out.

"No." she replied sharply. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. _She's too much like him for her own good._ she thought. _Reminds me a bit of how you used to be._ another part of her called in her mind. She dismissed the thought, grimacing.

"Very well." she released the girl and turned away. Leia allowed a small, smug smile to spread across her face. Ahsoka allowed a smile to creep onto her face as well, as she spun on her heel and flicked her wrist. Leia found herself flying through the air, suddenly hitting a wall with a _thud_. She fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, unconscious.

"No!" Padme yelled, louder now. A deep anger burned in the older woman. She stood up a little straighter, looking over to her young daughter. A small spark flickered momentarily within her.

"Don't you _dare_ hurt my children! Don't you dare touch them!" she hissed, breaking free of a stormtrooper's grip.

She managed to kick the back of his knee, sending him to the ground. Another stormtrooper rose, moving to strike at at her, but she caught his arm and flipped him over her shoulder. It wasn't in the best form, but for being out of practice it was pretty good. She had managed to take down two more troopers before she heard a sharp _click_ from behind her right ear. The click of a blaster. Ahsoka walked over to Padme, standing over the groaning soldiers.

"Come now, Padme. Put your hands up and we could do this like civilized people." she clucked. Padme huffed, frustrated, but complying. She raised her hands over her head.

"That's better. Now, trooper, I want them on my ship as soon as possible. We don't have enough cells to separate them, but I feel that could work towards our advantage. Prepare for take off. I must inform Emperor Palpatine of our progress."

"Yes ma'am. Right away." the trooper said, but Ahsoka was already out of the house.

Padme held Luke close as they were led out of the house and to the large ship. They slowly walked up the long landing ramp, and Padme turned around to look back their house for what she knew would be the last time. They had done so well, she thought for sure that they could actually pull off the whole "hiding from the Empire" thing. She felt as though she had failed Luke and Leia. She bent over to Luke, kissing the top of his head, whispering a silent "sorry" into his ear. He simply looked up in confusion as a reply.

They were led down a small hall and stopped in front of a durasteel door protected by a ray shield. The shield was lifted and the door was opened, revealing a now awake Obi-Wan and Anakin. Anakin offered up a weak smile to his wife as she and Luke were pushed into the little jail cell. A trooper carrying Leia came in behind them and set her on one of the small cots and left, locking the door behind him. Anakin's face fell as he looked at his daughter. He stood up and sat beside her.

"What happened!" he cried, looking her up and down. Obi-Wan joined him, placing a hand on her forehead, using the Force to wake her up.

"Daddy?" she croaked. Anakin looked over to Padme.

"You gave Leia too much of your personality, that's what happened." she retorted, chuckling a bit. Anakin huffed, standing up.

"I guess that's possible." he shrugged, embracing her, and bringing Luke into the hug. "Did she hurt you, buddy?"

"No. But is Leia okay?" he asked. He looked back over to his twin.

"A broken wrist and a bump on the head. She'll be just fine." Obi-Wan grinned, ruffling her hair.

"Thanks Uncle Ben," Leia smiled back, using her good hand to brush the hair out of her face.

The ship rumbled and groaned, causing Anakin, Padme, and Luke to stumble.

"So that's that." Anakin said, "We're off to Coruscant. Off to Sidious." The words were bitter in his mouth as he looked over to Obi-Wan.

"Perhaps it's what the Force wants. Perhaps it's time." he replied, soberly. "I suggest meditation. Would you like to join us, Luke?" Luke's eyes brightened.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed, glad that he got to finally do a "Jedi thing".

The two men and the boy sat together on the ground as Padme sat on the cot with Leia, holding her close. A few moments passed as the two Jedi cleared their minds. Their concentration was suddenly broken though, by a loud gasp from Luke.

"What is it, Luke? What happened?" Anakin asked, looking worriedly at his son.

"Artoo and Threepio! We forgot Artoo and Threepio!"

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"Artoo?" See-Threepio called from a closet. Artoo had directed him in to it, exclaiming that 'it was happening' and 'they found us'. Threepio, of course, knew what that had meant. Master Anakin had added a program that was set for this situation. "Artoo-Detoo, where are you!"

There was a click from the other side of the door, and it opened to reveal the little astromech.

"Where have you been? Where is Master Ani and Mistress Padme?" he asked.

"THERE ARE NO LIFE FORMS DETECTED. MASTER ANAKIN AND FAMILY ARE GONE." Artoo bleeped in reply.

"Oh dear, oh dear. What are we to do? We must help them! Who knows what that dreaded Emperor Palpatine plans to do to them."

"THERE IS ALWAYS SENATOR ORGANA. HE COULD BE OF SOME HELP."

"Perhaps. But we would have to go to the communication center in town. You know how Master Ani was, not wanting a long range communicator in the house."

"IS, GOLDENROD. MASTER ANAKIN IS NOT DEAD YET. NO SPEAKING OF HIM IN PAST TENSE. NOT NOW, ANYWAY." Artoo blipped sharply.

"Hmph. Sentimental bucket. Well, if we are to go call for help, we should do so with great haste. Who knows how long Master Ani, Mistress Padme, Mistress Leia, Master Luke, and Master Kenobi have."

"WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? LET'S GO."


	5. The Chosen One

The ship shuddered, causing Anakin to jolt awake. It's not like he was really asleep, though. His mind was still reeling, thinking of the events that had transpired, and fearing what was to come. Minding his sleeping son, who had curled up into his side, Anakin rolled over on the small cot, sitting up on its edge. He looked over to see Padme with Leia resting in her lap, both asleep, with Obi-Wan lying just feet away, taking up what little room was left in the cell. Anakin frowned.

"Force, what have I done?" he said softly. To his surprise, he got an answer.

"It is the will of the Force, Ani." Qui-Gon Jinn responded, appearing before the exiled Jedi Knight. Anakin jumped up, almost knocking into Luke.

"Qu-" Anakin exclaimed loudly, but for the sake of those sleeping around him, he quickly quieted his voice, "Qui-Gon!"

"Yes, Ani," the older Jedi spoke softly, a small smile on his lips. "I needed to speak with you before you enter the belly of this monstrous beast."

"But Master," Anakin started in a whisper, shaking his head, "I'm not ready. I'm not the Jedi I once was. It all changed after..." he trailed off.

"After you joined the Dark Side?" Qui-Gon said, bluntly. Anakin looked away, ashamed.

"Well, yeah," he replied sheepishly. "Master, I'm sorry. I failed the Jedi."

"You define your failure, my friend. I believe it was the Jedi who failed you, and I know Obi-Wan and Master Yoda would agree with me." Qui-Gon explained, nodding his head towards his old apprentice.

"I think you have the wrong man, Master. I can't be this, this savior that you think I am. I've fallen too far."

"But you came back. You showed the galaxy, and this Sidious, that you are strong enough to defeat the darkness-" Anakin cut him off.

"And because of that, my family is in terrible danger. I know what the emperor is capable of, and there is no way we'll make it through this without a few scratches. I can't do this."

"You must, Anakin. You are the Chosen One. You will bring balance to the Force. You will end this darkness."

"Master, you've been saying that ever since you found me, when I was nine. At first it sounded wonderful, but now I don't believe it. It can't be me. The Chosen One is supposed to be this perfect Jedi, who is balanced and level-headed and everything that I'm not." Anakin shook his head. He was surprised to find he was shaking. He quickly composed himself. "I can't be this great person that you want me to be. I'm sorry."

There was silence between the men. Anakin brought his prosthetic to his forehead, resting his elbow on his other hand. The deceased Jedi Master sighed.

"I see there is no changing your mind, Ani. All these people in this room, whether they know it or not, they believe in you. But nothing can be done until you believe in yourself. And I can't do that for you." Qui-Gon said, sadly. He began dissipating in thin air. Anakin stood up a little taller, his eyes widening.

"Master! Master, wait!" he cried, but he was too late. Qui-Gon was gone.

"Ani?" he heard coming from the other corner. He turned over his shoulder to see Padme looking up at him, worry in her eyes. "Who are you talking to?"

"N-No one, Angel." Anakin replied, offering her a smile. "Just a little restless. Go on back to sleep." Padme nodded sleepily, leaning her head back onto the wall, falling back asleep.

Anakin huffed as he laid back down on the cot next to Luke, pulling him in close.

"I'm gonna figure this out. I won't let you guys down." he said silently, allowing his eyes to close as he drifted to sleep.

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 _"I must say, Admiral, I am quite pleased with your progress."_ stated the cloaked figure on the holocomm.

"It was not a challenge, my Lord." Admiral Tano replied, smugly.

 _"Then why did it take you six years to successfully apprehend him?"_ the hologram retorted. _"I am not a patient man, Admiral. You're lucky I still have use for you."_

Ahsoka clenched her prosthetic hands at the sound of this. _The old man sure enjoys telling me how worthless I am to him._ she thought to herself begrudginly.

"I thank you, my Lord." she ground out. "Our expected arrival time is fifteen-hundred standard hours, about three hours from now. Do you have any requests as to how the prisoners shall be brought to you?"

 _"Alive and awake. I wish to have a few words with Lord Vader before they are taken to the prison."_

"My Lord," Ahsoka hid a scowl, "I believe it would be easier to just kill Skywalker and his family. They are traitors to the Empire, and must be made examples of."

 _"I thought we've been through this, Admiral. Having the so-called Chosen One sided with us would prove helpful in maintaining the Sith's rule over the galaxy. Even if he isn't the one from the prophesy, he is the most powerful being in the galaxy and can be used to our advantage."_

"Of course. Forgive me, my Lord."

 _"Very well. I hope to hear no more of this. I await your arrival."_ the blue figure flickered out. Ahsoka stood up, allowing her scowl to form on her lips.

"How easy it would be to just kill the bastard and his precious family. But _no!_ He holds so much importance to the _cause!_ Pft." she huffed. "That's fancy wording for 'he's your kriffing replacement'." she laughed to herself, walking out of the small room and into the ship's main command center. All of the soldiers immediately snapped to attention.

"Admiral?" the general, she had simply forgotten his name, asked.

"Stay on course, General. Emperor Palpatine is expecting us."

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 **It's short, but I'm satisfied with it. I wanted Qui-Gon in this, kind of like one of the conversations on Mortis. Six years have passed since Anakin's turn to the Dark Side and, as was seen in the second chapter, he still feels guilt for that. He feels that because of this, there was no way he could be the Chosen One. I'm really trying to add more content to this rewrite, and I'm happy with how I'm doing so far. I just need to get more free time. I'm sorry it's taken so long to update, but things are starting to slow down so I'll be able to get back onto a regular schedule.**

 **Drop a review!**


	6. The Message

**Well, here we go. Chapter five. I'm happy with it. I noticed in the original fic that I didn't include our favorite droid duo, so I decided to add that in. One thing about Artoo that I've found through writing this, it was so hard to write him as an "it", because he has such a personality and he feels so deeply for Anakin, Obi-Wan, and the others. It was much easier to write him in as a "he".**

 **Okay, maybe you didn't find that as interesting as I did, but oh well.**

 **Alright, I'll let you read the chapter now.**

 **Please don't forget to review. I appreciate all of you! Happy reading!**

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If asked, See-Threepio would straight up tell you that Iego was "no place for droids". But that would quickly be followed by a chirp from Artoo-Detoo that meant "you say that about every planet we visit."

But in this case, See-Threepio was correct. See, once the Empire established its grip on the galaxy, Iego quickly became home for smugglers, star pilots, and refugees looking to escape the Imperial presence. And many of the aforementioned would see two high quality droids as an opportunity to make a quick credit. This was why it was quite beside the golden protocol droid to be out and about in the city of Cliffhold without Master Anakin or Mistress Padme by his side to protect him from those ne'er-do-wells.

And he wouldn't let Artoo forget it.

"Artoo, Artoo! Wait for me! You're going to fast!" Threepio cried as he fell behind the blue and silver domed astromech.

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR SLOW TOTTLING ALONG. WE MUST HURRY IF WE ARE TO HELP MASTER AND FAMILY." Artoo blipped shortly, maintaining his speed.

But Threepio didn't hear. He was too busy jumping at the slightest noise.

Finally, after further "tottling", the two droids reached the small communication center. It was a small, rotund hut with a a small blast door hiding the comm station inside. And on that blast door was a rather large sign reading "NO DROIDS".

"Well, who's to say we didn't try, Artoo. Come along, I'm sure we can figure out another way to get to Master Ani." Threepio said, almost shrugging. He turned around and began walking off. He stopped, though, noticing his counterpart was not following him. "Artoo?"

"YOUR WAY OF TRYING AND MY WAY OF TRYING ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS, THREEPIO. COME ON. KEEP WATCH WHILE I GET THE DOOR OPEN." Artoo chirped flatly. He plugged into the small port, working on getting the door unlocked. With two clicks and hiss, the door slid open.

"SO FAR SO GOOD." Artoo beeped to himself as he rolled into the small hut. Inside it sat a burly Klatooinian, staring with glazed eyes at the large screen before him. At the noise of Artoo's entrance, the Klatooinian stood up, but then stumbled. It was obvious to Artoo that the alien was drunk. Artoo simply bleeped as he knocked himself against the larger man's side, causing him to simply fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Artoo?" Threepio peeked his head inside.

"YOU CAN COME IN NOW." he replied with a sing-song whir. Threepio stepped over the Klatooinian and shut the door. Artoo always knew the best way to shut Threepio up was by proving him wrong, and the fact that it was fun to do was a plus for the little astromech.

"SEE? PERFECTLY SAFE." the droid quipped.

"Hush up. Hurry. You do remember Senator Organa's code frequency, right?" Threepio changed the subject.

"OF COURSE. I'M A DROID. I REMEMBER EVERYTHING." Artoo tweeted sharply, plugging into the comm station.

The two droids waited silently as they waited for someone to pick up on the other end. Soon enough, the image of a young woman appeared on the screen.

"This is Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan's office. I'm afraid he is currently out, but I can take a message." she chirped, most likely assuming Artoo was a senator's droid.

"I'D LIKE TO LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR SENATOR ORGANA."

"And who is this?" she replied, continuing to assume the aforementioned.

"THE ASTROMECH OF ANI, BEN, AND FAMILY."

"I see." the woman nodded, raising an eyebrow. "And what is the message?"

"WOULD YOU MIND IF I KIDNAPPED YOU AND TOOK YOU TO MEET SOMEONE OF IMPERIAL STATURE?" Artoo tweeted.

"I'm available. When?" she asked, suddenly hushed.

"24 STANDARD HOURS AGO."

"Where?"

"I SUPPOSE CORUSCANT WOULD BE A NICE PLACE TO DO SO."

"I see. Where are you now?"

"WHERE ANGELS ROAM THE EARTH."

"Very well. We'll be in touch." she said. "Thank you." she hung up.

"Well, what now?" Threepio huffed.

"WE WAIT." Artoo replied, making it quite obvious that if he could, he'd be smiling.

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"Dad? Daddy!" Leia Skywalker tapped her father's shoulder, waking him up.

"Hm?" he opened his eyes to see the large brown ones staring back at him. Anakin looked around to find that at some point, Luke had moved to the floor. "What is it, Princess? Is something wrong?"

"Are we in trouble? Did I do something to make the Emperor mad?" she asked. Anakin smiled. His daughter was much smarter and more perceptive than most six year olds. It was part of who she was in the Force. It was also a frustration, as it was very hard to hide anything from the child.

"No, sweetheart. You didn't do anything." he replied sadly.

"Then what is going on?"

"I already told Luke-" Anakin started.

"I know what you told Luke. But let's face it, Luke believes _everything_ he hears." she interrupted matter-of-factly.

"Oh really?" he raised an eyebrow. Leia simply nodded.

"So what's happening?" she pushed. Anakin sighed.

"Well, Leia. Believe it or not, but there are people in this galaxy who don't like mommy, Uncle Ben, or I."

"That's no surprise." Leia rolled her eyes. Anakin chuckled, and continued.

"But there is one man who _really_ doesn't like mommy, Uncle Ben, or I."

"Who is it?" Leia persisted.

The two of them paused as the ship let out a loud groan. The others around them began to stir, Luke and Padme began opening their eyes. Leia looked back at her father, as if she were interrogating him. And in some respects, she was.

"Who is it?" Leia asked again.

"He's a bad man, Leia. A very bad man."

"Is that who we're going to see?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Why are you afraid, Daddy? In all your stories, you were never afraid." she continued as Anakin sat up and put the small girl on his lap. The ship groaned again. It was now obvious to Anakin that they were landing on Coruscant. By now, Padme had sat down at Anakin's feet, holding Luke in her arms. At hearing her daughter's question, she reached up and grabbed a hold of Anakin's hand, giving him an encouraging look.

"Truth is, sweetheart, I've always been afraid. In all of those stories, I was always scared for my life. Not just my life, though. Obi-Wan's, and Mommy's, and many others." Anakin paused, having to remind himself that he was trying to explain this to six year olds. He sighed.

"This man is incredibly dangerous." he continued, "If he's given the opportunity, he will hurt you."

He ignored the look of fear shared between the siblings. He looked up to see Obi-Wan standing by him, a hand on his shoulder. The ship shuddered for a third time. He knew Ahsoka, _Admiral Tano,_ was on her way.

"But my duty is to my family. I won't let him touch you. Not one of you."

Anakin pulled his entire family, including Obi-Wan, into a tight hug. It was then that he realized there were tears in his eyes. He knew for a fact that he had never been so afraid in his entire life. He knew he might not make it through the next week. Kriff, he probably wasn't going to make it through the day. But that's not what he was afraid of. He was afraid that by his actions- his stupid, naive, selfish actions- he had signed the death sentence for his family. He was afraid that there would be even more blood on his hands. But it would be worse, because it would be the blood of those he loves most. The blood of those that he _could not_ lose. He could hear the thunder rumble above the Tusken camp on the night his mother died. A storm was coming.

His thoughts were interrupted by the hiss of the door sliding open. He let go of his family and looked coldly at his old apprentice. She simply smirked in return.

"The Supreme Emperor Palpatine will see you now."


	7. Day One on Coruscant

**Merry Holidays, everyone! 'Tis the season to be jolly, so be sure to send a smile someone's way! As my aunt always say, this time of year as well as all the time, no matter what your beliefs or opinions are, we should be spreaders of peace, joy, love, and happiness. I always like to add kindness into that mix as well.**

 **I've got a nice chapter for you here, and I hope you enjoy it! I'm starting to get to the point where I need to be looking back at the original so that I can keep/expand upon some of the elements from that first story, which is exciting but sometimes brutal. Good Lord, you would think that spell-check didn't exist five years ago! But I suppose the important thing is that I'm having fun with this rewrite, and I hope that you all enjoy reading it!**

 **Disclaimer (since I've not been doing this as much as I should): None of this is really mine, just the story. All of the characters have come from the beautiful minds of the lovely people at Lucasfilm, Disney, and from George Lucas himself.**

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Anakin knew that resisting was out of the question. He was led willingly out of the cell on the ship. He had heard from one of the troopers that his family was being transferred to the prison on-planet, and that Palpatine had a specific desire to meet with him immediately. Alone.

Anakin looked around as he was pushed through the hallways of the Senate Building, which now housed the now ineffective Imperial Senate. He kept his eyes down as various Senators gasped at the appearance of the old "Hero with No Fear". For so long they believed he was dead. He ignored the whispers of disbelief as he and the guards turned into the long hallway leading to Palpatine's office. Anakin couldn't help but scoff, knowing that the Emperor was simply parading him around to further disparage the senators that still had the gall to openly denounce the supreme leader. The problem was, it seemed to be working.

He thanked the Force Padme wasn't there with him. She knew most of these people who still kissed Palpatine's backside at his whim, as well as those who worked for the rebellion on the side. It would have left her sick to her stomach, knowing what the Emperor was really doing with the Senate.

Moving down the long hallway leading to the main office, Anakin couldn't help but recognize the large statues placed around. The same ones from that night. He hadn't realized it'd be this hard, and it was going to be even harder after he walked through those large doors. The guards stopped in front of the doors, one turning to key in a code. The doors slid open, revealing the large office of the Supreme Emperor. Anakin hesitated, fear inside him causing his legs to turn into lead. The guards pushed him forward, and he stumbled through the door.

The office itself didn't seem to have changed. Anakin winced at the sight of the new window that replaced the one that had been destroyed by Mace Windu. He could still smell the burnt skin of the brave Jedi Masters who had confronted Palpatine before he so stupidly helped the Sith Lord destroy them.

"Lord Vader." a voice croaked into Anakin's thoughts. It sent shivers down his spine. Anakin kept his eyes down. That wasn't him. That wasn't his name. So he sure as hell wasn't going to answer to it. Palpatine was unamused.

"You will answer me when I address you, apprentice." the voice hissed, and lightning suddenly engulfed Anakin. The force of the lightning pushed him to the ground as he continued to spasm. After a few moments the electricity stopped coursing through his body, and he was pulled back up to his feet. It was then that he looked into the yellow eyes of his old mentor, a man who he had thought to be his friend. The man who betrayed him, and temporarily seduced him to the Dark Side.

He looked just as scarred as he had that night, but his skin had sunken. He seemed to resemble a corpse, at least in the eyes of Anakin. He was no longer human, he was... _a_ _Sith_. Anakin frowned, knowing that he could have become something like that. _If it weren't for Padme and Obi-Wan, Force knows where I'd be._

"Let's try that again. You will answer me when I address you, _Lord Vader_." Palpatine demanded, louder now.

"I don't go by _that name_ anymore." Anakin replied, standing up straighter. Palpatine stood up from his desk, frowning deeply.

"So I've heard. But that will soon be remedied." he growled. He walked around his desk and stood before Anakin, glaring at him.

"For now, however, you must face the punishment for disobeying your master and leaving without my permission."

Anakin sneered at the Sith Lord, despising the words that had just come out of the old man's mouth. He wasn't Palpatine's slave, not anymore for that matter. But before he could voice his opposition, he was once again engulfed in lightning.

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Padme stroked her children's hair as they sat in their new cell. Obi-Wan sat in the next cell over, with a four inch viewport built into the wall allowing the two adults to speak to each other. Though they really weren't allowed to speak to eachother. Luckily years of being a Jedi and a Senator had helped the two develop a knack for reading lips. They both sat silently now, though, waiting. For what exactly, they were still unsure.

Padme began to grow anxious. They had only been in the cell for almost a standard hour, but Anakin had yet to return. Surely Palpatine wouldn't have him killed so soon. Afterall, if he had wanted Anakin dead, wouldn't have Ahsoka just killed them before even pulling out of Iego's atmosphere? It was a dark thought, but it was true.

She was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts though, when Luke suddenly burst into tears and began thrashing in her lap. Padme jumped up, pushing Leia aside as she tried to grab a hold of her son. He seemed hysterical, his face twisted in pain as he continued to scream. Padme got a grip on Luke's shoulders, and kept him straight on the floor so he couldn't hurt himself.

"Help!" she cried, not knowing what to do. Panic lined her voice and formed a lump in her throat. "What the hell is happening! Help me!"

"Shut up in there!" was the only reply she received. She looked over to Obi-Wan, whose face was practically stuck to the small viewport as he beat against the glass.

"It's Anakin!" he exclaimed, but Padme did not hear him, for Leia had begun to cry as well.

Padme pulled the two children closer to her as she whispered into their ears that "everything will be okay" through fearful tears of her own. She even began singing a lullaby, hoping that could ease her children's pain. Just as she was about to run out of ideas, though, Luke and Leia's screaming and thrashing stopped. They continued to sniffle and whimper in her lap as she kissed the tops of their heads. Leia looked up into her mother's matching brown eyes, though in hers, there was pain. A pain that Padme was unable to relate to.

"What is it, Darling?" Padme asked, her lips turned downward with worry. "What is the cause of this?"

"Mommy, Daddy is in trouble. That bad man, he's hurting him." she replied, scrunching her eyes shut.

"Mama, why is that man doing that? Why is he hurting Daddy?" Luke asked silently. Padme sighed, looking at Obi-Wan, who seemed to be feeling the same pain as the children.

That's when it hit her. Anakin was bonded through the Force with both children and Obi-Wan. If he was in pain, they felt it. But years of experience allowed Obi-Wan's reaction to such instances of pain to be less... obvious. Padme slowly stood up, moving to the viewport.

"Obi-Wan," she whispered, placing a hand on the glass, "is Anakin alright? What is he doing to him?"

"Nothing that won't heal," he replied, shaking his head.

"But he's," Obi-Wan hesitated, lowering his voice further, "He's torturing him."

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It would be another standard hour before some of the Emperor's guards dragged Anakin into the cell on the other side of Padme's. She gasped as she ran over to the viewport that looked into his cell. His tunic was in shreds, his back was scorched by what seemed to be an electrowhip. She noticed muscles in his arms and legs were still twitching from electric shock. After a moment, Padme looked away and closed her eyes.

"Oh Ani," she whispered, a tear falling down her cheek. She suddenly felt so helpless, seeing her husband in another cell with no one to tend to his wounds. She sat back down, her back against the viewport, knowing that there was nothing she could do except get some much needed rest.

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 **The feedback has been so encouraging, and I do appreciate those who review, follow, and favorite this story.**

 **Thanks again!**

 **-renny writes**


	8. A Change of Scenery

**Hey again! I normally prefer to post on Friday nights, but I figured it's a holiday weekend and I didn't want you guys waiting another week for an update.**

 **I'll let you get right to it!**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars is still not mine...**

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Darth Sidious stood before his large window overlooking the city, his hands clasped behind his back. A frown had set itself on his lips as he watched various speeders zoom past his office.

"My Lord?" a voice whispered through the silence. Sidious turned around to see the togruta kneeling before him.

"Hm? Ah, it seems I got lost in thought. How silly of me." he grumbled, his frown deepening.

"You were telling me of Skywalker's... progress." Admiral Tano murmured, lowering her head.

"As I was saying," he continued, scowling at the young woman. He turned back around.

"Lord Vader requires something else to bring him back to us. He's forgotten what power truly feels like. He's allowed his passion for his family to cloud his judgement, and it has dampened his lust for power."

"What must be done, Master?" Tano looked up, determination etched into her face.

There was silence as Sidious pondered over just what _exactly_ needed to be done. After a week of torture, his lost apprentice had yet to break. Electro-whips, Force Lightning, Lightsaber burns, everything Sidious could think of. But it still wasn't enough.

The way Sidious saw it, though, nothing was impossible. Skywalker, _Lord Vader_ , would find his way. He just needed the proper motivation. Sidious just needed to step back and reassess the situation. First and foremost: physical torture wasn't working. The further Sidious stepped back to reassess, the more obvious it seemed. With Skywalker, pain of that sort wouldn't have much effect. With Skywalker, it was all mental. Skywalker's mind was burdened with a great many things: guilt, resentment, remorse, confusion, sadness. And most of those emotions seemed to swell around a certain follower of his. And there it was. That love and dedication to his friends, come and gone. It was his weakness. It would be his ultimate undoing.

Sidious turned to the young togruta before him, a smile forming on his thin lips.

"Lord Vader feels guilt," he began, a sick smile slithering onto his lips, "about a great many things."

Tano dared to look up at her master, surprised to find him smiling about this. But Ahsoka Tano, she was smart. It didn't take long for it to click in her mind. She clenched her prosthetic hands.

"He feels guilt for tossing that blasted Windu out of the window," Sidious continued, "He feels guilt for ransacking the Temple, and guilt for killing those Jedi younglings. And, it would seem, he feels guilt for what he, ah, did to you."

Images shot through Ahsoka's mind, a scowl forming on her face.

 _"I must destroy you!" Anakin's gruff voice echoed. The smell of burnt flesh, the thud of her hands hitting the floor._

 _"Finish her." he hissed._

 _"I HATE YOU!"_

"Isn't that right, Admiral?" Sidious chuckled.

"It's pathetic, my Lord. I deserved what I got. I was blinded by the Jedi. If it weren't for Lord Vader, I would not be here. I'd be dead with the rest of that Jedi scum." Tano replied, choosing her words carefully, "Lord Vader is our ally, but Skywalker is our enemy. We must destroy Skywalker to get to Vader."

"Good." Sidious nodded.

"My Lord," Tano interjected, standing up. Praying her master would forgive her outburst, she continued, "What about Kenobi, Amidala, and the children? They are his most obvious weaknesses. If we were to... dispose of them-"

"No." the Dark Lord replied sharply. "Kenobi's time will come soon enough. As will Amidala's. The children, though. I may have use for them. Until the moment is right, we keep them all alive."

"Forgive me, Master." Tano averted her eyes back to the ground. "What must I do?"

"I'm glad you asked, young one. I grow tired of our torture sessions. I believe it would be in good taste to have you do the torturing tomorrow. Do what you please. Help Anakin Skywalker see the pain and horror he has caused."

Admiral Tano, couldn't help but allow a grin to flash across her lips. Now was her chance at some revenge. Of course she had no interest in keeping Skywalker alive, or even getting "Darth Vader" back. To her, they were the same person, and they both deserved to die.

"As you wish, My Lord." she bowed and turned and walked out of the office. There were preparations to be made, torture techniques to learn. And a Jedi to break.

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Anakin Skywalker grunted, slowly opening his eyes to the dark cell in which he laid. He had fallen asleep, or had fallen unconscious. He didn't quite remember. His hand of flesh and blood rested near the small view port. The one in his cell that connected to Padme's was slightly larger than the one that connected Padme to Obi-Wan. On the other side of the view port, he could see his wife's angelic face. She must have fallen asleep after Anakin. Though his mind was groggy, he still remembered his silent conversation with her. Her hand rested just opposite of him.

Carefully, Anakin rolled over, a moan escaping his lips as he landed on wounds, some opening upon making contact with the durasteel floor. He felt his torn tunic dampen as blood ran down his back. Anakin frowned. What did Palpatine hope to accomplish by torturing him? Anakin pondered for a moment, knowing the answer, that Palpatine was attempting to break his spirit, hoping to crush all that Anakin was.

 _Never. That could never happen. At least not ever again._ he had resolved, closing his eyes.

He was pulled out of his brief doze as bright light poured into his dark cell. Though he had been injected with a Force inhibitor, he could still sense the two Imperial guards standing at the door. Not moving, he simply sighed.

"Back again?" he croaked, surprised to find just how dry his throat was.

"Your presence is requested, Lord Vader." one of the guards said, his voice deep and demanding.

"Sorry, no _Lord Vader_ here. Might I suggest looking in another cell?" Anakin replied, grinning slightly.

"Get up, scum." the other guard slammed his staff against the wall, a loud _bang_ reverberating through the cell. He heard Padme gasp from the other side of the view port. Anakin opened his eyes back up and propped himself up on his elbows looking at the guards.

"Alright. No need to get so hyped up. Haven't you heard the saying 'patience is a virtue'?" Anakin remarked, trying to suppress a smirk. The guards didn't find it so funny. They began to advance towards him, their staffs pointed at his chest. Before they could strike him, though, Anakin made a last minute decision to stand up and reach his hands out to be cuffed by some restraints. Anakin sighed.

"You know, next time you could just say 'please'." he stated, exasperation in his voice. At this, he did receive a shock to his back. He jumped, taken by surprise.

He was led out of the prison and forced onto a speeder. Palpatine preferred to not leave his office, so Anakin had grown used to the routine of being flown from the prison to the Senate building. _No._ Anakin corrected himself. _The Imperial Palace._

The "palace" laid straight ahead, gleaming in the bright morning sun. Anakin sat back in the seat of the speeder as it zoomed through the Coruscant skyline. He had to admit, he missed the city and it's never-ending hustle and bustle. He smiled slightly, allowing the thrum of the city to run through his veins as the Imperial Palace loomed nearer, forgetting what it was that Palpatine might have in store for him today.

The speeder made a sudden turn though, veering off to the left, cutting through the other lanes of traffic. Anakin was flung into one of the guards at the sudden change in direction. The guard shrugged him off, scoffing. Anakin looked back at the Imperial Palace, as it grew smaller and smaller. The speeder blew past the beautiful 500 Republica, memories flashing through his mind, but he continued to look around in confusion. The guard turned to him, the more aggressive of the two, a smirk now on his face.

"Emperor Palpatine suggested a change of scenery for today's session." he explained, reading Anakin's expression.

The words rang through his mind as he felt his whole body go numb. Anakin turned his head to face forward once again where, just ahead, sat the ruins of the once great Jedi Temple. The one that Anakin himself had destroyed.

The speeder pulled onto one of the landing pads at the front of the temple. Anakin didn't budge as the two guards forced him out of the speeder and up to the stairs.

 _"Our orders, Lord Vader?" the clone commander at his side asked as he and the clone battalion approached the Temple entrance, Gate Master Jurokk's dead body left on the ground behind them._

 _"Kill them all." he hissed._

He was dragged up the stairs as he gazed in horror at the still-present scorch marks of the blasters, piles of ash and soot littered all around the floor, along with the bones of the Jedi that had been brutally murdered on that fateful night.

 _Shots rang through the halls, bodies dropping left and right. He found that with every Jedi he cut down, the easier the whole process became. He dared to find that he was actually_ _ **enjoying**_ _this. He found himself in the Council room, a youngling standing before him._

 _"Master Skywalker! There are too many of them! What are we going to do?"_

The group continued through the halls as Anakin did everything in his power to ensure he did not throw up as bile rose to his throat. Every Jedi he cut down flashed through his mind. Every face, every cry for mercy. The group slowly made their way down a long hallway, filled with quarters, mostly of Master/Padawan teams. They turned to a door that had been blasted open.

 _"She's barricaded herself in the room, sir!" a clone sergeant exclaimed. Darth Vader huffed, exasperated._

 _"Jedi coward!" he mumbled. "Blast it open!"_

A rusty and blackened plaque was hung on the wall just next to the door frame. It was harder to read it now, but Anakin knew what it said. He knew where he was, and why he was there. He was pushed into the small living area, past the small plaque that bore the words "Skywalker/Tano".

 _"I must destroy you!" Anakin's gruff voice echoed. The smell of burnt flesh, the thud of his old padawan's hands hitting the floor._

 _"Finish her." he hissed._

 _"I HATE YOU!"_

Anakin cringed, wishing the painful memories would disappear. He had been suppressing them for so long that he had almost forgotten the magnitude of what he had done. _Almost._

The two guards had kicked him to his knees, his hands cuffed behind his back. Darkness surrounded him, but it wasn't as strong as that of Palpatine's. This Darkness was heavier, and it was all directed towards him. Anakin sighed and looked up as he heard footsteps come from what used to be his room.

"Well, that was a fun trip down memory lane." Admiral Tano's harsh voice rang through the barren room. She walked around Anakin, hands clasped behind her back. She looked him over, a frown plastered on her face.

"Leave us." she growled to the guards, who both stiffened, bowed, and exited the room.

As soon as the two men left, Ahsoka turned back to Anakin, a dark smile on her face.

"We have some _catching up_ to do."

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 **A/N: I was very pleased with this chapter, and next chapter will be getting into the nitty-gritty of the whole Ahsoka situation. But this was a pretty good setup chapter for the next bit as well as for the rest of the story**

 **I also wanted to thank all of you for your support of this fic! Last chapter was my most viewed and I'm so happy that people are getting really into it. It definitely keeps me writing!**


	9. How Pathetic

**Oh my. Why does it seem like life never slows down? I'll let you get right to it!**

 **None of this belongs to me.**

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Captain Raymus Antilles sat in the cockpit of a small freighter, heaving a sigh of frustration.

 _What a piece of junk. Where's the Tantive when I need her?_

Of course he knew the answer. Yes, his "baby" was on lock down, at least for this mission, which was sanctioned by the Prince Consort himself. Of course, this mission was extremely confidential, which didn't come as a surprise to Antilles. Everything had to be done in secret these days, what with that damned Emperor and his Admiral constantly in pursuit of the Alliance. He often wondered how Senator Organa did it, living this double life between the Alliance and the Empire.

The ship creaked uneasily, pulling Captain Antilles out of his thoughts. He was coming out of hyperspace now, the bright streaks of blue fading away to reveal the planet of a thousand moons. An Imperial checkpoint had been set up since the capture of the Skywalkers, and no one could get in or out without the right security code. Lucky for him, he just so happened to have that code.

 _"Corellian Freighter, identify yourself."_ a voice crackled through the communicator.

"This is _Iego's Pride_ coming in. I just finished a supply run and am returning home to pick up my next shipment." Antilles replied, coolly. "You boys sure set up shop here quick."

 _"It is necessary. A fugitive was found just outside of Cliffhold. That blasted Skywalker family had been hiding out here"_ the officer on the other end said. Antilles knew it was the Emperor's way of saying the Chosen One was in his clutches. Any hope that died with the capture of Skywalker was good for Palpatine. Now he was just showing off.

"I had heard about that on the Holonet. I'll be damned, we could've been neighbors and I never would've known it." Antilles shrugged, waiting for the officer to finish running the ship through the system.

 _"Iego's Pride, your ship checks out. What's the clearance code?"_

"Ah, let me think," Antilles smirked, faking his loss of recollection. "Oh yes. Nine- Zero- One- Eight- Nine- A- Twenty-Seven." There was a brief pause as the officer ran the code.

 _"That checks out. You may proceed."_

"Thanks! Have a good day!" Antilles said, a mock cheeriness in his voice.

He proceeded to the planet's surface, following the coordinates given to him by Senator Organa. The only real spaceport on the planet was in Cliffhold, anyway. The fact that it was just a few clicks from the Skywalkers' old residence was a great convenience for Antilles, saving him the trouble of having to waste time in traveling across the planet's rugged terrain. He landed the ship, gave a couple of credits to the owner of the docking bay, and went on his way.

The streets of Cliffhold were eerily empty. All the refugees hiding from the Empire had most likely moved on to another obscure planet in the Outer Rim. Dust blew up in the wind around a few Storm Troopers scouting the area. Captain Antilles ducked into a closed off doorway until the troopers passed. _No point getting any unwanted questions._ he thought, coming out of his little hiding place. He checked to see if the coast was clear, and continued through the streets, coming to what looked like a repair garage. He tried the door, but it was locked.

He knew it would be locked though. The Skywalkers were thorough and couldn't afford to make such a small mistake. Antilles couldn't help but wonder how they had gotten captured in the first place. Had someone recognized them? Had someone seen their wanted posters? Who knew but the Admiral Tano, Emperor Palpatine, and the poor bastard that had sold them out? He keyed in the code to one of the garage doors provided to him by Senator Organa, and the door raised to reveal a small speeder. He hopped into the small speeder and drove off to the coordinates of the Skywalker's residence.

It was a nice house just over a dusty ridge, shielded from the city. The inside wasn't so quaint. Sofas and caf tables flipped over and charred, doors kicked in, toys thrown about. _I knew they had kids, but from the look of things I think they're more like hurricanes!_ Antilles chuckled, but perked up upon hearing a clatter come from the kitchen. He slowly drew his blaster from his belt, expecting to stumble upon a few stray troopers. He approached the kitchen, watching his step. He heard another clatter, as well as a hiss of some sort. Antilles raised a confused eyebrow. _That's no stormtrooper..._

He waited just outside the small doorway before jumping into the room, blaster raised. He was surprised to find nothing. Broken cups and plates cracked under the captain's boots as he stepped forward, pushing through fallen chairs. He stopped again as a soft rustling came from a closed cabinet to the left of him. Antilles lowered his blaster and reached his left hand out slowly to the cupboard. But just before he could open it, something small and furry jumped out at him.

"Stang!" he cried in surprise as the animal landed on his chest and knocked him to the ground.

He grunted as he tried to get the hissing animal off of him. Finally, after receiving a few scratches, Antilles managed to throw the thing aside. It landed on all four of its legs and looked at him with two beady eyes.

"A damn _lothcat_!" he said aloud as the family pet hissed at him, poised to attack again.

It was then that a stubby blue and silver domed astromech rolled into the room, followed by a tall gold protocol droid. The lothcat immediately backed down, moving over to the two droids and sitting down on its haunches.

"Hmph. Why Master Ani allowed Mistress Leia and Master Luke to keep that animal is beside me." the gold one stated, seeming to not have noticed the intruder. The astromech twittered and rolled up to Antilles, knocking into his side.

"You must be the astromech that sent out that transmission to Senator Organa." Antilles said, resting a hand on the droids dome. "Captain Raymus Antilles, your personal escort to Alderaan."

"Oh, thank the Maker! We're saved!" the gold one praised, raising its arms. "I am See-Threepio, human cyborg relations. And this is my counter-part, Artoo-Detoo."

"Nice to meet you both. And, the lothcat?" Antilles suppressed a grin.

"That's just Gucci. The children found him at the spaceport wandering around. Mistress Padme and I both agreed that children did not need to keep it, but Master-"

"A name would've been enough, chatterbox." Antilles got down on his knees and called the lothcat to him, taking out a ration bar. Gucci skipped over to the rebel captain and graciously took the ration stick, allowing Antilles to pet him. The lothcat seemed to have forgotten about any previous hostilities.

"You're not so bad. I'd imagine the children will appreciate having their pet back. We'll bring him along." Antilles winked. He stood back up and looked the droids over.

"There's not much time. It's almost been a week since Master Skywalker went missing, and we've no idea how he and the rest of his family are doing. We can hop on the speeder I've got outside and I've got a transport waiting for us back in Cliffhold." Artoo beeped and Antilles looked to See-Threepio for translation.

"Of course. We should be leaving right away! I'm sure Master Ani is worried sick!"

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Anakin cracked his eyes open, and almost forgot where he was. He looked around to see the dull Coruscant sun shine through his blinds. He saw his old podracing posters hanging on the walls, and the clutter of old storage bins. He realized that he was in his old room. He started to believe it was all a dream; Order 66, Darth Vader, the Empire. As if it never happened. It lasted for all of two minutes.

He barely moved an inch, and pain exploded throughout his body. His back stung, his legs ached, his left arm was definitely broken, he realized he was lying in a pool of his own blood. He then remembered his predicament. He remembered the torture, the awful things that were said. He groaned and gasped as he rolled over. It was then that he saw a figure sitting just across the room on some of the boxes. _Ahsoka._ She sat still, smile as smug as a child who had smooth talked their way out of punishment.

"Back for more?" Anakin ground out. Ahsoka chuckled.

"Perhaps. I seem to have run out of ideas for physical torture."

Anakin winced, remembering the scratches on his back from his old apprentice's prosthesis. He remembered the hand-to-hand combat that he had been to weak to fight back for, the snap of his arm and the Force choke that ultimately rendered him unconscious.

"It's pathetic, really." Ahoska cooed, not moving, "You were the greatest Jedi ever. And the simplest thing drove you to destroy it all. Tell me. If you had a dream of my death, would you go to such great lengths to make sure I lived?" Anakin paused, eyes widening.

"Of course, Snips. I-" Anakin started, but was cut off when Ahsoka leapt to him with her lightsaber at his neck.

"You don't get to call me that! That name is nothing! It belonged to the weak padawan you almost had murdered years ago!" she snapped.

She held the lightsaber there for a moment longer, and Anakin thought she would end it right there.

"Emperor Palpatine ordered me not to kill you." she stated, not removing the lightsaber. "It's so tempting, having my opportunity right here, but I am forbidden to take it." She switched her weapon off.

"I'm sorry to disappoint." Anakin replied, then adding, "Wouldn't be the first time."

Ahsoka sat back down, eyeing him. "No. It wouldn't."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Tell me, Skywalker. How does it feel to carry this guilt with you everywhere you go? How can your family bear to love the monster you've become?" Ahsoka asked softly.

"It haunts me." Anakin said sincerely, surprised that he was even answering the question. "I haven't had a full night of real sleep in years." Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, but listened.

"Padme and Obi-Wan have stood by me, helping me through it. But then Luke asks about the Jedi, and I-"

"You haven't even _told_ them, have you? Your own children?" Ahsoka laughed, standing back up again. "You don't even think your own children would accept what you have done. Then again, I suppose I don't blame you because you're right. They wouldn't be able to accept the monster that is their own father."

Anakin remained silent, realizing his mistake. He winced as he turned over in his old bed, attempting to sit up. Ahsoka frowned.

"You are still living a lie. After all these years, you are still living a lie. There are no more Jedi, no more rules, and yet you choose to continue living in torment. So weak. You've forgotten the Dark Side, you've forgotten that it gives you strength to do whatever it is that pleases you."

Anakin remained silent, his lips a thin line across his face.

"Don't you see what you've done to the galaxy? You made it _so_ easy for a _Sith_ to just waltz right in and take over. _Come on_! I thought you were supposed to be the Chosen One, and now you're here being tortured on a daily basis because you refuse not be a pain in the ass based on some old, worn out philosophy drilled into your head by the Jedi.

"It's a double-edged sword. If you join him and do as he says, you'll be right back where you started, and all that you've worked hard for with have been for nothing. The secrets, the family life on Iego, out the window just like that. And if you don't join him, you know he won't hesitate to destroy everything you ever made you happy. He will drive his lightsaber straight through Padme's chest and not give a second thought."

Ahsoka's voice was raised, as she towered over Anakin's weak form. For the first time in his captivity, he allowed himself to let tears fall from his eyes. There was no point in hiding, not from Ahsoka, anyway. He knew she was right. He knew he was the reason for all of this. He knew it would probably be best if she just killed him right there. He sucked in some air as Ahsoka continued, obviously taking pride in the fact that she was getting into his head.

"He wouldn't hesitate the same way you didn't hesitate when you murdered those younglings. Or when you killed Shaak Ti or Master Jurokk. The same way you didn't hesitate to give the order to have me killed. It's inevitable, Skywalker. Every person you love will die, and it will always be _your fault._ "

"STOP! ENOUGH!" Anakin cried out, attempting to jump at Ahsoka, but she was able to catch him in mid-air with the Force and slam him into a wall, pinning him there. Anakin winced and groaned while pain settled all over his body. Ahsoka stepped closer to him, her eyes softening.

"You were so close, Skywalker." Ahsoka whispered. "Everyone believed in you, _I_ believed in you."

"Then why are you doing this, Ahsoka?" Anakin tried to shift, but found he could not, as it only pained him more. "You could help us. I could help you defeat Palpatine. You could come back to us and-"

"You misunderstand, Skywalker." she replied, her glare hardening. "I was naive then. I have since learned that looking inward is the only way to achieve ultimate power. How dare you think I'd help the very man who destroyed it all for me."

Anakin remained silent, as a stormtrooper entered the room. Ahsoka turned to the trooper, but kept her hand raised to hold Anakin against the wall.

"Emperor Palpatine believes the prisoner should be brought back to the palace so that his wounds may be treated. Once the prisoner is well again, he must be brought to the Emperor." the trooper said, just barely loud enough for Anakin to hear. Ahsoka growled, but complied.

"Very well. We'll be along in a moment." Ahsoka softly replied. "Trooper, I suggest you bring in a stretcher to take Skywalker back to the palace. I have a feeling he won't be fit to walk."

The trooper saluted and left. Ahsoka turned around slowly, a pensive look on her face as Anakin grunted. She then looked up, glaring.

"This isn't finished, Skywalker. If anyone in this galaxy is going to kill you, it will be me. And I will enjoy every second of it. But since I can't kill you now, I suppose a bit of a 'parting gift' is in order." she said as she ignited her lightsaber. Anakin's eyes widened in fear as an invisible force began to squeeze his neck. He couldn't breathe.

Ahsoka stepped forward as Anakin gasped, and raised her lightsaber. She brought the lightsaber down on him, slashing across his body from his left shoulder blade to his right hip. Anakin yelped in agony despite the lack of air in his lungs. Ahsoka waved her hand, and sent Anakin flying across the room, smacking him into a wall.

And Anakin's world went black.

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 **Hope you enjoyed this one. I wanted to bring back the droids and show that they were not forgotten, as well as Gucci the lothcat because what the heck? I also wanted you guys to see some Anakin/Ahsoka stuff. There will be a lot more on this later, I promise. This is just a bit of a starting point.**

 **Review, follow, and favorite! I love how much attention this rewrite is getting!**


	10. Reunion

**Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone! Super excited to be posting this next chapter! The feedback I've been getting has been incredible and I appreciate it! I'll let you get right to it!**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars still isn't mine...**

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Anakin woke up to a feeling of intense grogginess, almost blinded by the harsh lights in the small hospital room. Contradictory to his surroundings, he felt as though he were on a cloud, his pain left only as a dull memory. Accompanying the grogginess, however, was the void-like feeling of being without the Force. Palpatine most likely ordered them to inject more Force Inhibitors into his system. _Because that's exactly what I need right now..._ he thought glumly. He sat up carefully, surprised to find all of his wounds had been somewhat healed. He took this moment to take stock of his situation: his left arm was no longer broken but it was still sore, his back felt raw, cuts were scabbing over. The worst of it was the cauterized gash that ran across his body. He dared to lay a finger on the burned skin, only to open the not yet fully healed wound.

A Med Droid poked its head into the small room stepping through after seeing its subject was now awake.

"Ah, Lord Vader. Master Sidious has been waiting for you," it said in a monotone voice, removing the IV from Anakin's forearm. "And I see you've opened your wound." It added, sounding exasperated.

"Sorry 'bout that." Anakin replied shortly. "And it's not 'Lord Vader'".

"Of course, Lord Vader." the droid said, earning a grimace from Anakin.

"Master Sidious is expecting you." the droid repeated, sounding more forceful, pressing a bandage onto Anakin's chest. "A tunic is on the chair. Troopers will be here to escort you in a few moments."

And as soon as it had come, the droid left the room.

Anakin stood up, walked across the room and picked up the black tunic. He slowly threw the tunic on as two troopers entered. Anakin really didn't feel like putting up a fight, so he allowed them to cuff him and pull him through the Imperial Palace. They came to Palpatine's door, where Anakin was able to hear talking on the other side. The door then opened to reveal Palpatine and... someone else, Anakin couldn't quite see who it was as the man's back was to him. At the sound of the door opening, though, he turned to face the newcomer. And next thing Anakin knew, he was looking into the tired eyes of Bail Organa. Both looked at eachother in shock as Palpatine chuckled darkly.

"Do we have an _understanding_ , Senator Organa?" Palpatine asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bail looked Anakin over gravely. It had been six years since they had seen each other, and what the years had done to each man did not go unnoticed. Bail's hair had grown grayer, and dark circles surrounded his once bright eyes. He never removed his eyes from Anakin as he made a quiet reply to Palpatine.

"Yes, Your Highness. I shall return to Alderaan and oversee this project personally."

Bail bowed quickly and shuffled out of the office, leaving Palpatine and Anakin. He walked briskly through the Imperial Palace, and out to one of his landing pads. Captain Antilles was already waiting for him beside the _Tantive IV_.

"Senator Organa. It's good to see you." Antilles smiled at his Prince Consort. Bail returned a grin.

"Yes Captain, thank you. It's good to see you too, old friend. Come, we have much to discuss."

The two men climbed up the landing ramp of the large ship. Antilles left Bail for a moment to see that the _Tantive IV_ made it into hyperspace, and he returned to the small conference room where Bail was waiting for him.

"Unbelievable." Bail began, exasperated, "Palpatine is moving the construction of his new battle station to over Alderaan. He's onto us, I just know it." He rubbed his eyes, a troubled look on his face.

"I saw him, Raymus," he continued, quieter, "I saw Anakin. He looked awful, half starved and beaten up. Force knows what that bastard has been doing to him and his family." Bail silently worried for his old friend and ally, Padme. And the children. He had only met them once just after they were born, but they still managed to steal his heart.

"But he's alive?" Antilles raised an eyebrow. His senator had been a bit of a pessimist lately. It just came with the shroud of this dreaded Empire.

"Yes."

"Well, now we know that it's time to make our move." Antilles sat up straighter. "My mission was a success. Both droids are now in our hands."

"Very good. And our reinforcements?"

"I've been in contact with a few rebel cells, a majority of which have agreed to aid us in the rescue."

"I want you to set up a meeting with these rebels. Find a fuel station where we could do this. We must be discreet, especially with the Empire _literally_ looming over our heads."

"I can have a meeting set up by tomorrow. Until then, Your Highness, I believe it would be in your best interest to catch some sleep." Antilles stood up and bowed, leaving Bail to his thoughts.

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Anakin was kicked down to his knees, but he still looked up at Palpatine with furrowed eyebrows. Palpatine smirked.

"I hope Admiral Tano wasn't _too_ hard on you yesterday. She's just had all this pent up rage toward you, and I figured I would indulge her, if not for but a few hours." he said smoothly. Anakin grimaced in reply.

"It has been two weeks since your capture, Lord Vader." Palpatine continued. Anakin was surprised to hear that such a short amount of time had passed. He felt like he'd been on Coruscant for months. "You are as strong as ever. You and I will be unstoppable, as soon as you come back to the Dark Side."

"Yeah, right." Anakin huffed, hiding his surprise at how worn out his voice sounded. Palpatine sighed.

"You make this too difficult, apprentice. How can I convince you to rejoin me?" he asked, sincerely.

"You could release us. Let us go back to our home and never bother us again." Anakin replied, sharply. Palpatine chuckled.

"No, Lord Vader. You know very well that I won't be doing that." Palpatine leaned back into his chair. "However, I do believe a little bit of a reprieve is in order. I'll give you and your family one day together. After that, you _will_ join me and I shall complete your training."

Anakin's eyes widened and his face lit up as the two troopers lifted him to his feet. He was brought to a small, empty room complete with what Anakin knew was a one way window. The troopers left him and locked the door behind them. For a tragic moment, Anakin thought Papatine had been kidding, that Palpatine would walk through the door and continue torturing him. But then the door hissed open, and all hell broke loose in the best way.

"DADDY!" Leia screeched as she broke free of the trooper escorting her, sprinting to Anakin's arms. Tears sprang to his eyes as they collided in a tight hug.

"Oh Leia, my sweet Princess Leia!" Anakin cried. He heard a silent gasp from Luke, and he set Leia down to go attack him with a hug of equivalent intensity .

"Daddy, we were so worried!" Luke said, muffled by Anakin's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Of course, Luke. I'm better than okay now!" he exclaimed, ignoring the pain on his chest. His wince did not go unnoticed by Padme and Obi-Wan. He set Luke down at the sight of his beautiful wife.

Though, Padme was in rough shape. Her usually slim form was borderline malnourished, her tunic now seeming over-sized. Dirt matted her hair down, and dark circles were under her eyes. Anakin gently embraced her, pressing his lips against hers.

"Ani. Ani, are you okay?" she asked, tears running down her cheeks, "What did he do to you?" She placed a hand on his chest, causing him to grunt.

"Nothing much, Angel. It's just a scratch," he lied. Padme didn't fall for it, but decided not to push. "What about you!? Has he done anything to you?"

"No. But the food, there's never enough for Luke and Leia. I- I don't want them to starve or-" she was cut off by a tighter embrace from her husband.

"Don't worry, Angel. Don't hurt yourself. We'll be out of here very soon, I just know it." He whispered, grinning, with hope in his eyes.

"What makes you say that?" she replied, just as silently.

"I'll tell you in a moment." he said, kissing her forehead lightly.

Anakin looked up to see his old master, standing by the door. Bags had appeared under his eyes, and he looked incredibly calm.

"You been meditating, Master?" Anakin raised an eyebrow.

"Just because I can't feel the Force doesn't mean it has left me." Obi-Wan replied, coolly. "Perhaps you should give it a try."

"Not for me," Anakin shrugged, "I don't exactly have time for it between torture sessions." Padme winced at Anakin's choice of words.

Luke and Leia had latched themselves to their father as the five of them sat down on the cold floor. The small family sat in silence for a while, other than Luke and Leia's momentary and random chatter. It was the first time since leaving Iego that Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan actually felt relaxed. They still sat on edge, though. They knew they were still being watched...

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Emperor Palpatine frowned as he watched the Skywalkers reunite after their semi-separation. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. Skywalker's family was his weakness, but he knew that if he were to kill them all, Skywalker would never really be his. Skywalker would spend the rest of his life in darkness, yes, but there was no way he could control Skywalker when he'd be thirsting for the blood of his wife's murderer. Palpatine cursed inwardly, enraged with how things had played out six years ago. He turned away from the one way window to face Admiral Tano.

"Yes, Admiral?" he hissed, not really in the mood to deal with whatever problem had occurred.

"My Lord, I think I found something. It was something Skywalker said the other day. An... anomaly of sorts." she bowed her head as she spoke, feeling her master's anger in the Force.

"Go on," he waved a hand in annoyance.

"The children don't know of Skywalker's temporary fall to the Dark Side."

Palpatine raised his eyebrows at this information. It wasn't exactly relevant to any of his plans for the Skywalker children, but it could be a way to get to Skywalker himself. He smiled maliciously for a moment, knowing how Skywalker's next meeting with him would be conducted.

"My Lord, I've been thinking," Tano continued, to Palpatine's dismay, "The boy dreams of being a Jedi. He could easily be swayed to the Dark Side if this is played right. The two children are strong in the Force. Possibly stronger than Skywalker himself. They would be easier to control and we could just kill-"

"No!" Palpatine cut her off, a look of annoyance donning his face. "Tano, I grow weary of your constant pathetic attempts to get me to kill Skywalker. We _need_ him. He is the prophesied _Chosen One_. If we lose him, we could lose control of the galaxy. You lack vision, you stupid child. You should consider yourself lucky that I'm not quite finished with you yet. One more word of murdering Skywalker, and you find yourself becoming one with the Force sooner than you'd expect. Am I understood, _apprentice_?" he hissed, Ahsoka now kneeling before him.

"Yes, my Master. Forgive me." she ground out, standing back

"You are dismissed. Get out of my sight." he waved her off, turning back toward the window.

Ahsoka walked out of the small observation room, a snarl on her face. In that room, something had snapped within her. The last time she had felt this way was when Skywalker had left her to the clones. But last time was different. She had lost control last time. Now, she was older, and no longer naive. She had the Dark Side. She would use her anger to keep her focused.

The thing Palpatine didn't understand was that she didn't lack a vision at all, her vision was just a lot different from his. It didn't matter at this point. She knew a lost cause, as well as how to step away from it. And Skywalker was a lost cause, Palpatine was just too ignorant to see it! He'd spent too long with the light.

She stormed through the hallways and to her private quarters, a plan forming in her mind. Skywalker would be hers. She would die before letting him get out of this mess alive. If she could bring Palpatine down too, it would be a nice bonus. She was sure she could give Skywalker the opportunity to get her "master".

Ahsoka smiled. Yes, yes this would work, she was sure of it. She just needed to get close to him and the others. As much as she hated to admit it, Skywalker would be an important part of this plan. It would require the two of them to work together, whether Skywalker knows he's planting the seed of his demise or not. One thing Ahsoka knew without a doubt, though: this would be interesting.

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Luke and Leia had fallen asleep after a small meal consisting of dried meat and crackers. Anakin hadn't eaten much, giving Padme an opportunity to get _something_ into her stomach. He knew she'd need her strength. The children had their heads resting on Anakin and Padme's legs while Obi-Wan sat across from them. Anakin and Obi-Wan decided it was safe to speak, feeling Palpatine's dark presence disappear down the hall. They believed it to be evening, and that Palpatine had retired for the night. Whatever his reason for leaving was, they were glad to have some privacy.

"Bail was in Palpatine's office earlier." Anakin said, quietly. Padme and Obi-Wan perked up upon hearing this.

"You saw him!" Padme exclaimed in a hushed voice, a ghost of a smile on her lips, "Was he okay?"

"I think so," Anakin replied, "He was surprised to see me. But he also seemed relieved."

"Do you think our contingency plan worked? That the droids made it off planet and are now in Bail's hands?" Obi-Wan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sure Artoo was on top of it from the beginning. But, I don't know, I just saw Bail and I _knew_ something was in place to get us out. We just need to be ready."

Before either of the others could respond to Anakin, the door slid open to reveal Ahsoka. A wide-eyed look of confidence and determination crossed her face. She, for a moment, looked younger, like in the earlier days of the Clone Wars. It gave Anakin some hope that he could save his old apprentice.

"Don't worry, Skyguy," she said excitedly, hardly containing a smile, "You will be."

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 **Phew! Another chapter don e! Hope you enjoyed it! I'm definitely straying a bit from the original story, to give it more substance. Plus, some of the things my little eighth grade self wrote don't exactly make sense...**

 **I really can't tell you when the next update will come, but I'm sure it won't be too long. We're finally getting to the real nitty-gritty exciting stuff!**

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	11. Hope and Hopelessness

On the far reaches of the Outer Rim, sits an empty planet, known as Stobar. The only thing it's really known for is its booming spaceport, where most smugglers and pilots stop to refuel both their ships and their stomachs. It's here that an incredibly secret meeting between the leaders of three rebel cells is to take place.

Bail Organa and Raymus Antilles sat in a booth facing the door in the small diner. The other cell leaders were already there, but they couldn't risk sitting together, not with the Imperials down their necks. So instead, they would all leave at separate times, and rendez-vous at a small apartment being rented under a fake name. The other two leaders had gotten up and left, and it was just Bail and Antilles.

"You think this will work, my friend?" Bail asked, looking at Antilles, who was shoving a fork of nuna eggs into his mouth.

"Of course, Senator. I have no doubt in my mind," he replied, swallowing. "I'm willing to bet that by this time tomorrow, we'll have feet on the ground on Coruscant."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Raymus. We still need to convince these guys to join our cause." Bail huffed. "I believe it's time for us to go."

"But my omelet," Antilles murmured, eggs still in his mouth. Bail chuckled.

"Get it to go. I'm heading out though. I'll see you at the apartment." Bail got up, dropped a few credits at the counter, and walked out, Antilles running to catch up.

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Anakin jumped up as the door slid shut behind Ahsoka. Leia jerked up and yelped, as she had still been asleep on his leg. Padme slowly lifted Luke's head off her leg and let him down to the floor before standing up.

"Admiral Tano? What are you doing here?" Anakin raised his eyebrow, glancing at Padme and Obi-Wan, who were now standing beside him.

"Please, Anakin. It's Ahsoka." she replied in a hushed voice taking a step toward the others.

"Is it now?" Anakin snapped, a hard glare on his face. "Because I'm pretty sure that yesterday, it was Admiral Tano." He lifted his shirt up to show Ahsoka and the others the burned flesh across his body. Padme gasped, raising a hand to her mouth. Ahsoka faked a wince.

"Ani," Padme whispered into his ear, "hear her out." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. She nodded to Ahsoka, a shadow of a smile on her face.

"I knew this day would come. You've never been good at hiding. I knew Palpatine would find you. It was only a matter of time. I needed to be here, so I could- so I could help you." she explained, her prosthetic hands clasped behind her. Anakin looked over at Obi-Wan, furrowing his brow.

"And, do you plan to help us?" Obi-Wan asked. Ahsoka shrugged.

"Why else would I have come?"

Anakin clenched his jaw, thinking of what to do. _Damn these Force inhibitors. I need the Force_. He wanted, with all his heart, to believe her. But why would she have waited this long to say something? Then again, what other choice did he have? If, _if_ Ahsoka meant it, and if she could get them out of this hell hole, it wouldn't be so bad to listen to her. He needed to give his family, Luke and Leia, their best chance. No matter what the cost.

"Alright. What've you got?" he looked back up at the togruta before him. A smile slipped onto Ahsoka's face, but then disappeared before anyone could notice.

"Palpatine plans to see you again tomorrow. I don't know much else. Padme, Obi-Wan, and the children will be back at the prison. That's what Palpatine told me to do anyway, take you four back to the prison. Now, I will make sure that I'm the one who has to take you, Anakin, back to your cell, which will be here at the palace. Palpatine wants to keep you close. I can make sure Padme and Obi-Wan get their weapons back, and are able to get over here where we can get a ship off world.

"Anakin, I can get your lightsaber back as well as get you back to Palpatine's office. He won't be expecting it. You could-" she was cut off by Anakin.

"Woah. What do you mean?" Anakin stepped up, cocking an eyebrow. "We need to get the hell out of here, we don't have time to go on a completely separate, and futile, quest."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan set a hand on his friend's shoulder, "the prophesy. There may not be a better time to do this." Anakin sighed.

"No. You may be right, Obi-Wan, but right now my priority is getting you guys out of here." he replied, coolly, making it obvious that it was not something he wished to discuss further. Padme seemed to completely ignore his tone of voice.

"No, I think Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are right. It's like Master Yoda said, all those years ago on Onderon. You are the Chosen One, who will destroy Palpatine and bring balance to the Force. It's now or never, Anakin." she stepped forward casting an encouraging smile on her husband.

Anakin hated to admit it, but he was outnumbered on this. Maybe it was what the Force wanted, maybe this was its way of speaking to him despite the inhibitors running through his system. He inhaled sharply and huffed.

"Very well. But if this goes south, don't hesitate to leave me behind. My family's safety is far more important to me than taking down Palpatine." he hesitantly agreed, looking back at Ahsoka, "Get them to a ship, and get me into Palpatine's office. We'll see where we go from there."

"It's settled then. Tomorrow after your session with Palpatine, we'll set it all in motion." Ahsoka nodded. "For now, I'm sorry Anakin, but it's time to say goodbye to the others." Anakin frowned, but obliged and picked Luke and Leia up, waking them.

"Daddy? What's going on?" Luke asked, looking into his father's electric blue eyes. Anakin kissed his forehead.

"I'm going to have to go away again for a little bit. But don't worry. We're not going to be here for much longer," Anakin said, glancing over at Ahsoka. "Ahsoka is going to help us."

"Hey, she's that one from your stories!" Leia exclaimed, following her father's gaze, "She's your Pada-padawa-"

"She was my Padawan, yes sweetheart." Anakin grinned, kissing Leia's forehead. "Be good, follow your mother's instructions. I'll see you two soon."

"Yes, Daddy," they replied in unison as Anakin set them down. Obi-Wan quickly approached him while the children ran to Padme.

"Be on the lookout," Anakin whispered, "I don't want to say I don't trust her, but I don't trust her."

"Of course," Obi-Wan offered a smile, "Anakin, I just want to make sure you know this: I believe you can do this. There is no doubt in my mind that you are strong enough to defeat Palpatine and bring balance."

"Thank you... Obi-Wan," Anakin murmured, slightly taken aback by his old master's comment. He was reminded of Qui-Gon's visit with him. They all believe in you. He shook his head and shifted his gaze to Padme. He beamed. The two embraced.

"I told you it wouldn't be long." he chuckled, placing his hand of flesh and blood on her cheek, "We'll be out of here in no time." Padme laughed along, cherishing the warmth of her husband's hand.

"Once again, you've proven yourself too smart for me, Knight Skywalker." she grinned. It soon faded, though. "Palpatine wishes to see you again. Ani, what if he-"

"Let tomorrow worry about itself. I've made it this far, what's one more day. Everything will be fine. I'll see you when Ahsoka brings me to you."

"But Ani-" Anakin raised a hand. He replied in a hushed voice.

"I might not trust her, but I think you can. She won't hurt you or the children."

Ahsoka cleared her throat.

"It's time to go." she said softly.

"I know," Anakin replied, not turning from Padme. "I'll see you tomorrow. We'll hop on a ship and start somewhere new."

"No, Anakin. I'm tired of running. We'll hop on a ship and get in touch with the alliance. It's time we join the fight." she beamed, kissing Anakin on the cheek.

"That's my girl." Anakin remarked, grinning. He kissed her cheek and hugged her tight one more time before she moved over by the children. Ahsoka approached him.

"I'm sorry, Skyguy. If there was another way for me to do this, it'd be so much easier." she bit her lip, looking at her old master intently.

"I appreciate it, Ahsoka. Thank you for doing all this. It's truly selfless of you." he replied, nodding.

"You know, I'm going to have to make it look like you put up a fight," she said quickly, and suddenly she was worried that she sounded too eager. Anakin didn't seem to notice.

"All I have to say is make it look good," he shrugged. Before he could say anything else, Ahsoka batted the butt of her lightsaber against Anakin's head, causing him to fall to the floor, unconscious.

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"I believe we could make this work. The Mon Calamari Resistance stands with you, Senator Organa." Gial Ackbar stated, smiling toward Bail, "After all, the Mon Calamari owe it to the Skywalkers and Master Kenobi for their work in the Clone Wars." There was a collective nod in the room. There was Ackbar, the ex-captain of the Mon Calamari guard, representing the Mon Calamari Resistance. Next to him was Corellia's ex-senator and resistance leader Garm Bel Iblis, with Bail and Raymus representing the Alderaanian Resistance. They now sat around a small table in a rented apartment that rested above a seedy fuel station.

"As does the Corellian Resistance." Garm Bel Iblis nodded. Bail grinned.

"That is grand news. And I've already got word from Mon Mothma that she will provide what troops she has already on Coruscant with her. I'll turn it over to my partner, Raymus Antilles, to explain the plan." Bail nodded to his friend.

"Right. It's rather simple. Commander Iblis, you're men will provide us with air support. Your fighters will guide the transports down to the surface, while continuing an attack in the atmosphere." Iblis nodded.

"I will provide you with my most skilled pilots."

"Very good. Now, the Skywalkers are being held in the Imperial Detention Center. That's where the transports will drop us off. That is where we'll converge with Senator Mothma's troops. We'll work our way through the East cell block to a command center located not too far inside the prison. There, we will have an astromech plug into the computer and find their location. From there, once we've gotten the Skywalkers and Master Kenobi, we'll split up. Captain Ackbar, you'll take a squad and continue west as a diversion. There will be a shuttle waiting for you at the end of the entrance.

"Hopefully at this point, a majority of the guards will be concentrated on you and the cell block that held the Skywalkers. That will allow Senator Organa and the Skywalkers to slip out of the North entrance, where I will be waiting in the Tantive IV to pick them up." Raymus sighed. "Force willing, we will all rendezvous on Ansion where we can regroup."

"It's a stretch. So many variables, and so little to work with." Captain Ackbar remarked, grimacing.

"Having second thoughts, Captain?" Bail raised an eyebrow.

"Hell no, Senator. When do we leave?" Ackbar sat up in his seat, looking eager.

"Well, Raymus here believes we can have troops on the ground by tomorrow morning." Bail winked at his old friend, who smiled sheepishly at the other leaders. "Would it be possible to mobilize your troops and get going tonight?"

"My men are standing by now waiting for my call." Iblis replied.

"Wonderful. We should be getting to Coruscant by dawn. We'll organize ourselves just outside of the Imperial troops' range and be ready to attack by this time tomorrow." Bail said, standing up. "Until tonight, then."

The others stood up as well, and began shaking hands pleased with the plans and ready to get going. Iblis turned to Bail, a small grin on his face.

"You know, Senator," he began, "I believe this is the beginning of great alliance." Bail laughed.

"Come, my friend. We have an Empire to bring down."

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 _There was a moment of unadulterated joy for Anakin, though he couldn't quite place why he felt this way. He understood, though, when Palpatine's office materialized around him. He noticed he was holding his lightsaber, looking at Palpatine's corpse. All this disappeared, though, as there was a sudden burning sensation in his shoulder. He looked down to see a scorched hole in his tunic, just under his left shoulder. Blood surfaced under the burned skin. He suddenly felt heavier, his injuries from the past week were far too much for him to bear. He collapsed. He could hear voices, but couldn't make anything out. Blood seeped from the blaster wound. His vision turned red. He found himself gasping for air._

 _A new pain befell him after a while, a pain he hadn't felt since the night of the Purge. A bond had just been broken. The pain was excruciating. Something so familiar and so strong had suddenly snapped, leaving a part of him feeling empty and lost. He screamed out, hoping for an answer. He laid his head back on the ground, closing his eyes. He was too weak._

 _He choked on a sob, feeling the darkness edging toward him. Just as he was slipping away, he could barely hear the sound of light footsteps approach him._

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Anakin gasped, shooting up from his position on a small cot in a private holding cell. He rubbed his eyes, feeling a wetness on his cheeks. The dream had been so real, yet so unclear.

As much as it pained him to do, he ran through the dream again in his mind. The beginning was a good sign to him, he would kill Palpatine.

Or would he? What if that was Palpatine approaching him at the end? What if Palpatine was getting ready to finish him off? What if as soon as he was done with him, he'd go after the others? Fear spiked within him, his breathing got heavier. He was having a panic attack.

But no, this isn't right. Jedi don't get panic attacks. But that didn't seem to stop his chest from tightening.

 _You're not a Jedi, anymore. Remember? You're a Sith._

Anakin tried to stand up, but got incredibly lightheaded and slowly slid down the wall into the floor. He was hyperventilating.

 _The only truth in that dream is that you will die. Lord Sidious will kill you. You will fail, just as you always do._

"Stop it." Anakin muttered, rubbing his temple with his left hand. The voice was a vicious whisper, one that almost tickled his ears with every word.

 _He won't just stop with you. He'll get the children. And Obi-Wan. And your precious Padme. You failed them too, Anakin._

"No! Quit it! Stop!" He cried, louder now. Tears streamed down his face. "This isn't real!"

 _All things die, Anakin Skywalker._

Anakin looked up, terrified. "No!" He moaned, darkness beginning to overtake him. His chest stung from the lightsaber wound. His head and heart pounded to two different rhythms.

 _Even the stars burn out._

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His name was Tackett. Ever since joining the Imperial Guard, it had always just been Tackett. He never complained.

Tackett was sent by the Emperor himself to retrieve Skywalker. The Emperor assured him that Skywalker would be in no condition to fight today, as he'd had a pretty sleepless night. Tackett pondered about how the Emperor knew this, but knew better than to question any further.

He opened the cell door, surprised to see Skywalker lying against the wall, eyes closed. He obviously wasn't asleep, though. As soon as he heard the door open, he looked up at Tackett with exhausted eyes.

Tackett felt no sympathy for Skywalker. He had learned to feel no such things.

"Get up." He demanded. Skywalker only lowered his eyes and turned away. There was a hopelessness to the lad, but Tackett still wasn't phased. He walked over by Skywalker, and kicked him sharply in the ribs. Anakin cried out.

"I said get up, you pathetic excuse for a man!" Tackett yelled, causing Anakin to flinch. Reluctantly, Anakin stood up, grabbing the wall to support himself.

Exhaustion had set in, and he moved sluggishly toward Palpatine's office, requiring some prodding from Tackett's staff to keep him moving. They stood outside the large doors, Anakin bracing himself for whatever was waiting for him on the other side of the doors.

However, nothing could have prepared him for what he saw in the office. The doors slid open.

"Daddy!" Luke called out, a shrill squeal of delight.

He stood beside Palpatine, who had a bony hand resting in the boy's shoulder, a sly smile on his lips. Anakin looked panicked.

"No!"

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 **Boom. Mic drop.**

 **Wow, writing this chapter just about whipped my ass. But it's up! Yes! Praise!**

 **I'm so proud of how this one turned out! I'm sorry, but sometimes I just need to pat myself on the back, lol.**

 **It's been crazy these past few weeks, but I'm now on spring break so be expecting another chapter very soon! Plans are in place to get the Skywalkers out! We gotta see where this thing is going!**

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 **-renny writes**


	12. The Past Revealed

"Let him go, Palpatine." Anakin ground out, glaring at the man who currently held his son. He tensed under the grip of the palace guard that held him firmly in place.

"Oh now, now, _Master Skywalker_." Palpatine chided, "There is no harm done. Young Luke was just sharing with me some of your famous war stories. Tell me, Luke, how does that one end? The Battle over Coruscant?"

"Luke, no. _Don't_." Anakin plead, frowning.

Luke looked over to his worried father, his smile fading into a look of confusion. Despite Anakin's protests, he turned back to Palpatine and continued.

"Well, Daddy says that he stopped Count Dooku before he could hurt Uncle Obi-Wan. But he had to carry Uncle Obi-Wan through the ship until he finally woke up in time to fight with General Grievous!" Luke half-giggled to himself. He always found that image of his uncle rather funny. Palpatine smiled warmly. "But Grievous got away, and the ship was pretty much destroyed. But Daddy had to get to the ground somehow, so he piloted it all by himself down to the surface. Daddy says it took eight fire speeders to put it out, and that he hit two control towers before the ship came to a stop!"

"My, my, that is _something_." Palpatine chuckled, smirking at Anakin.

"Uh huh! And that's when Daddy got to come home to see Mommy, and she told him that she was going to have me and Leia. Daddy says it was one of his happiest endings to a story."

"Yes, a happy ending. It always seems to be a happy ending, doesn't it?" Palpatine nodded, thoughtfully, still eyeing Anakin. "However, there are a few parts missing from your Father's story. In fact, I'm sure that's the case with many of your his stories."

"Naturally," Anakin started, frantically, "war stories aren't for children of Luke's age. Most of those stories were... paraphrased, all in order to save the children from unnecessary fears or worries." Palpatine held up a hand, silencing him.

"You know that's not what I'm talking about, Skywalker." he hissed. He looked Luke over. "You hold your father in high regards, don't you?"

"I mean, yeah, I guess." Luke replied, not really understanding the question, "I want to be just like him when I grow up." Luke looked back over to Anakin, surprised to see tears in his father's eyes. Luke moved away from Palpatine and back towards his father. He rested a small hand on his shoulder. Anakin turned from his son's piercing blue eyes.

"You don't want to be anything like me, Luke." he replied, barely above a whisper. Palpatine cracked a grin. Before Luke could question Anakin further, he decided to cut in.

"Have you ever wondered what you and your family are really hiding from?"

"I already know," Luke raised an eyebrow. "We hide from you, because you made the galaxy a bad place. You want to destroy the rest of the Jedi." Palpatine smirked, amused with Luke's answer, yet he was not surprised.

"You may be partially right, young one. I do want to relieve the galaxy of the Jedi traitors. However, you may misunderstand my intentions. So I must ask again, what are you really hiding from?"

There was silence as Luke bit his lip in deep thought.

"Stop it!" Anakin blurted out, "He's just a child! He's not ready, he won't understand!"

"Silence!" a guard remarked, backhanding him. Luke gasped as he was forced away from Anakin's side.

"You hide from him!" Palpatine cried, gesturing to Anakin, who now had blood running down his chin. "You hide from the monster that your father was. The monster that part of Anakin Skywalker _still is_!"

Luke's eyes widened in fear, slowly turning to look at his father.

"D-dad? What is he talking about?"

"I-I, I had to." Anakin cried, gritting his teeth. "I had no choice."

Palpatine walked up behind Luke, placing a hand on his shoulder again. Not expecting this, Luke jumped, turning to face the old man.

"Why don't you tell him, Skywalker? Of how you were so desperate to save her. Of how you practically begged me to help. Of how you were so _willing_ to kill them _all_." Palpatine sneered, still looking at Anakin.

"Enough." Anakin scrunched up his face to fight back tears of shame.

"You're a liar! A coward!" Palpatine willed lightning to burst from his fingertips, sending Anakin flying from the guards grip and to the wall, holding him there with the lightning.

"No! Stop it! Don't hurt him! " Luke shouted, breaking from Palpatine's grip. "You're the bad guy in this! You're the one who destroyed the Jedi in the first place! You're the reason I can't train to be one like my Dad!"

Palpatine released Anakin, who fell to the floor, body numb from the electricity. Palpatine turned his gaze back to Luke.

"You're wrong again, young one. _I_ did not destroy the Jedi. I did not lay a finger on them, save for the four that tried to kill me."

Luke swallowed hard, hesitant to ask. "T-then who did?"

Palpatine had managed to calm his rage, placing a steady hand on Luke's shoulder again.

"You're a smart boy, Luke. I think you already know." he remarked smoothly, looking back towards Anakin's crumpled form with a frown.

Luke's eyes widened as he turned to look at Anakin as well. Anakin had managed to roll over and sit up against the wall, groaning. He was avoiding Luke's gaze.

"That's impossible. No, it-it can't be!" Luke cried, pulling away from Palpatine. "You're lying! Tell him, Dad!"

"I-" Anakin choked, watching Luke as he moved closer to him.

"Dad?" Luke raised his eyebrows.

"I'm so sorry, Luke. I'm so, so sorry."

The expression on Luke's face melted from desperation to horror.

"No. No, that's not true. That's- that's impossible!" Luke fell to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes, blurring his vision.

"I'm afraid it is true, young one. All of it: the Purges, Order Sixty-Six, all those Jedi. They're all gone because of your father."

Luke turned back sharply towards Anakin, anger flaring in his eyes.

"But all those stories. All those Jedi stories. They were your _friends_! Was it all a lie? Were any of those stories true?" Anakin sighed and sniffed, rubbing his face in his shoulder. He hesitated to lift his gaze to Luke.

"Yes, Luke. All of those stories are true, all of them! But the one about why we have to hide, the one about our last days on Coruscant, that one needed to be changed." Anakin plead, his eyes searching for understanding. But this was a six year old. A very hurt, very betrayed six year old. "I was afraid, Luke. I was, I was afraid that you wouldn't understand."

Luke offered no response. Anakin licked his lips, but before he could continue, Palpatine swept Luke aside.

"You know, Luke," Palpatine began, "Contrary to the belief of many, the Jedi way is not the _only_ way. The way of the universe is not so black and white. There are many gray areas. And those gray areas can be used to _your_ advantage, so that _you_ might become more powerful. More powerful, perhaps, than your own father."

Luke shook his head and turned away from Palpatine.

"You want me to join you. You want me to be a Sith. I, I can't. I'm going to be a Jedi." Palpatine smiled at Luke's slight hesitation.

"Once again, young one, you fail to see what is right in front of you. There is a reason that there are no Jedi anymore. Their practices were far beyond their time. They couldn't adapt, so they fell. The Sith, however, understand that the Force around us changes constantly. We grow more powerful with each passing day because of this knowledge."

Palpatine moved again to make Luke face him, watching as he carefully took the dark lord's words into account. Palpatine spared a glance toward Anakin, who only glared in response.

"You could be great, just as your father was. Perhaps even greater." he cooed into Luke's ear.

Luke looked up and opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it and resumed a deep contemplation. Palpatine grew slightly flustered. The child was only six. How much thought would he really have to put into this? But the name of Palpatine's game had always been patience. He could stand to wait a moment longer.

Anakin suddenly interrupted his thoughts, however, by bounding from the floor. He stood before the others, desperation etching his face.

"At what cost?" Anakin cried, "The darkness, Luke, it destroys a part of you. While you might gain power through it, you eventually find that you lose what matters most to you. I almost lost everything because of the dark side. It took a lot to bring me back, but your mother and Obi-Wan- they saved me before it was too late.

"They forgave me, for all I had done. They welcomed me back, and showed me that while the darkness is generous, it will still take everything from you and-" Anakin was again thrown across the room by Sith lightning. This time, however, Palpatine did not relent.

"I've had enough of your meddling, Skywalker." Palpatine hissed as Anakin fell to his knees, gasping in pain. Luke watched in horror as Palpatine pressed his attack.

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Leia Skywalker winced, feeling her father's pain through their bond. She sat back against the wall, watching her mother pace back and forth relentlessly. She could see Obi-Wan on the other side of the small window, his back to her. He had been meditating for what seemed like forever, but Padme informed her it had only really been about three standard clicks. Her ears perked up at the sound of shuffling feet just outside of the cell.

"Mama, she's here," she mumbled as Ahsoka opened the door. Padme turned and smiled at Leia.

"Very good." Ahsoka nodded toward her, stepping into the cell. She looked back to Padme, holding out a blaster. "There's not much time. Palpatine has Luke and Anakin right now, but I'm sure I'll be summoned to take them back to their cells in the next few minutes." She gestured to the door, as she moved to open Obi-Wan's door. She pulled his lightsaber off of her belt and handed it to him, removing his Force-resistant cuffs.

"What does Palpatine want with Luke?" Padme asked, pulling Leia close to her as they began a quick march down the cell block.

"I, I don't know." Ahsoka replied. "Frankly, I've been wondering about that myself." She thought back over her last conversation with Palpatine, remembering her mention of the children's lack of knowledge of their father's past. She shrugged it off. It was not worth the oxygen to tell them, after all Leia still probably didn't know. She preferred to get this over with without getting caught in excess family drama.

"So how will be get off planet? Do you have a ship waiting for us?" Obi-Wan asked, lifting Leia onto his shoulders to help them move faster down the hall. Ahsoka chuckled.

"I- uh, well, not quite sure yet." Ahsoka huffed, "I didn't think to plan that far ahead, seeing all hell will break loose anyway." The group took a sharp turn, and continued through the prison.

"Any suggestions, then?" Obi-Wan cried, Leia bouncing on his shoulders.

"I think I have an idea." Padme spoke up, "Ahsoka, can you get us to a comm station?"

"Yeah!" she replied, looking back to the ex-senator, "There's one coming up."

The four came to a stop outside a large door. Ahsoka turned around.

"This room will be crawling with stormtroopers. Let me handle this." she entered the room, and the sound of yelps and shouts filled the doorway. Obi-Wan, who had set Leia down, cupped his hands around her ears to block the sounds. Ahsoka quickly emerged.

"That should buy us some time."

"Good," Padme nodded, "Thanks." She hurried straight to the large comm station in the center of the room, tapping buttons furiously.

"So what's the plan?" Ahsoka asked from behind.

"Just watch," Padme said, almost excitedly, "Patch me through to Senator Bail Organa."

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The _Tantive IV_ rested just out of the Imperial command's range of detection, along with Captain Ackbar's _Home One_ and an entire squadron of A-Wing fighters provided by Garm Bel Iblis. All had gathered around a holocommunicator, listening as Bail Organa finished the briefing.

"Does everyone understand?" he looked around at the faces of the men and women that were so willing to fight for their galaxy. _This is why we have hope,_ he thought.

"Clear as crystal, sir." a pilot replied, followed by similar remarks.

"Good. I'll warn you now, friends. This will not be an easy assault. But with this alliance, I truly believe we will accomplish something _very_ great today. Get to your battle stations, and may the Force be with you." Many holograms began to disappear as Bail turned away from the communicator. He looked out to space in deep contemplation. This mission was not going to be easy, but he was ready to get his-

"Senator Organa! Senator Organa!" a voice cried from behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts. He whipped around to see a lieutenant with the facial expression of one who might have just seen a ghost.

"Yes?"

"Sir, we have an incoming transmission," the lieutenant's face paled slightly, "from the Imperial Detention Center."

 _Kriff._ Bail straightened and his expression hardened.

"Very well. Call the others and tell them to hold their attack. I'll take the call."

"Yes, sir!" the lieutenant ran off, barking orders at the other soldiers.

Bail marched back over to the holocommunicator, contemplating the blinking red light that kept the transmission on hold. He sighed deeply and pushed the button, ready for whatever he might find. Though he wasn't exactly expecting to find the image of Padme Skywalker looking back at him.

His eyes widened at the sight of the small women, at how weak and in pain she had seemed. He couldn't bring himself to believe that this was the once great Senator Amidala that the Republic had come to love and respect. She looked unhealthily thin, and as though she hadn't slept in days. Despite all this, however, she grinned at seeing him, a look of relief crossing her face.

"Bail!" she cried.

"Padme! What in the name of-!" he began, shocked, but cut off by his old friend.

"Hush. There isn't much time." Padme began, looking away from the communicator momentarily. She quickly turned back to him, "We've escaped but we need help getting off the planet."

"Well, kriff, Padme. Here we are, sitting just meters from Coruscant all ready with an elaborate plan to rescue all of you! I've got half an army waiting for my orders as we speak!" Bail cried, bringing a hand to his forehead.

"Then change the plan. We still need to get Anakin. He's being held at the Imperial Palace, and we're on our way there now. Just send your men there, that way we'll have a better chance of getting out of there in one piece." she explained, her eyes again leaving the communicator. Bail sighed in slight frustration.

"Very well. We'll meet you at the Imperial Palace. I will send Mon Mothma's troops to meet you there so you can have some immediate relief. As soon as we break through the Imperial blockade, we'll be there to help all of you get off world." As the words left Bail's mouth, Padme's face lit up with pure joy.

"Thank you, Bail! Thank you so much!" she cried, "We must be going. We'll see you at the palace."

"Yes, very soon." he nodded, cutting off the transmission. He shook his head, turning back to the soldiers on the bridge. The lieutenant ran up to him again.

"Sir, I have everyone on hold and waiting for your orders."

"Patch them through, Lieutenant." Bail nodded as the images of all the men and women he had just dismissed appeared before him, all with confusion etched upon their faces. He shook his head again, this time a chuckle almost escaped his lips.

"Well, my friends. Change of plans."

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 **Wow. So I might have lied about that whole "updating really soon" thing... Please forgive me for the long wait. This was definitely one of the hardest chapters I've had to write so far. I was just so worried about the whole Luke and Anakin thing and how I wanted things to be revealed and how I wanted Palpatine to play on that... *sigh***

 **Enough with the excuses though. I'm pleased with chapter, but I'd also like to know what you think.**

 **I'm getting excited about the upcoming chapters, though. I've already started the next chapter, and the chapter with some major duels is done, it's just a matter of how many chapters between this one and that one are needed to bring it all together.**

 **The good news, however, is that I've only got two more weeks of school (whoop whoop class of 2016!) and I really don't plan on doing much else while waiting for official summer vacation to roll around. I'm not going to say I'm going to update soon, but I will say it definitely won't take me an entire month.**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the update!**

 **-renny writes**


	13. Escape

Luke Skywalker stood next to Palpatine as he continued to torture Anakin. He quivered, feeling waves of a dull pain, reflecting that of his father's. Over the past few days, Obi-Wan had helped him learn to control the pain he and Leia could feel through their bond with their father. The power of Palpatine's Sith Lightning, however, was enough to make him wince in pain.

The lightning stopped, finally, leaving Anakin wheezing on the ground. Palpatine turned back to Luke.

"Look what your _hero_ has been reduced to, young one." Palpatine cackled. "Just think. You can be so much more than that, if you join me." Luke shook his head, tears staining his cheeks.

"No. No, I won't do it." he cried. But Palpatine could still sense the conflict in the young boy, he could still see the potential. A greedy smile slithered its way onto his lips as he turned back to Anakin, who had managed to roll onto his side.

"Leave him alone, Palpatine. He's stronger than I ever was. He will resist your manipulation, no matter what," he yelled between gasps. Palpatine laughed.

"You know, Skywalker, you _were_ always the first prize. Your _power_ was always what I was after, but now? Now I have someone else, someone with so much more potential than you." Palpatine retorted, "I see now that you are a lost cause, Skywalker. All my years of work, unraveled by that blasted senator of yours all those years ago on Mustafar. I have no use for you. Your son, however, will be a most valuable asset to my Empire."

Palpatine raised hands again, shooting more lightning at Anakin. Anakin convulsed, now screaming in agony. Anakin managed to open his eyes, seeing past the blinding blue of the lightning. He could see Luke, screaming, trying to fight Palpatine off.

"Luke..." Anakin murmured, not entirely sure if he was speaking out loud or not, but Luke looked over to him in response, "Luke!"

He reached his arm of flesh and blood toward his son, beckoning to him through their bond. But, to his horror, Luke was ignoring him. Anakin grimaced, and shut his eyes tight. He pushed through Luke's small barriers in their bond. He needed Luke to see. He needed him to understand.

So Anakin shared his memories that led to his temporary fall, so Luke could see Palpatine's deception. Luke brought a hand to his forehead as images flooded his mind.

 _"Good, Anakin, good!" an old man, Palpatine without the scars, called to him. "Kill him."_

 _"I don't trust him." a bald, Korun Jedi stated coldly._

 _"How do you know you have the whole truth!" Anakin called angrily to bounty hunter Rako Hardeen._

 _"My son, oh my son. I love-" a woman choked before falling back._

 _"I think I've found a way to save you, Padme." Anakin frowned looking back at Padme._

 _"Rise, Lord Vader."_

 _"Master Skywalker! What are we going to do?" a young boy of about Luke's age cried._

 _"If you go down this path, don't expect me to follow you." Padme spat at Anakin._

Luke felt the sheer shock of every word, just as Anakin had when he first heard them himself. His eyes met Anakin's, watching Palpatine continue to bombard him with lightning. And he suddenly understood. He understood not only what Anakin went through, but also the fact that Anakin thought it was right. Obviously, his father had been wrong, but Luke could now see there were two sides to Anakin's story. And it suddenly made his father seem more... _human_.

All his life, Luke heard his father's heroic stories. Anakin seemed like a god, and Luke only dreamed of being just like him. But now Luke could see that maybe the life of the great Anakin Skywalker wasn't as simple as always swooping in to save the day in the knick of time. It's not to say that he understood, no Luke was far from understanding. But in that moment Luke saw that Palpatine was right about one thing: he could be greater than his father. And that's why nothing stopped him from jumping in front of Palpatine's line of fire.

Luke's world exploded with pain as he was thrown to the ground. Anakin looked up in shock at what had just happened, shouting for Palpatine to stop as the six year old convulsed before him. Palpatine had not heard Anakin, but stopped all the same. Luke small form laid still on the blood red carpet of the office. Anakin gasped as he rolled onto his stomach and army-crawled over to his son, ignoring the fact that every part of his body was on _fire_. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he desperately searched for a pulse. To his relief, he found it, though faint and erratic. He buried his wet face in Luke's tunic.

"Oh, my Luke. What have I done?" he sobbed, "I'm so sorry. I'm so _sorry_."

Meanwhile, Palpatine stared in utter awe at what he had just witnessed. He had not accounted for this, this was totally unexpected. He was ready for Anakin to die and for Luke to join him. But _this?_ Palpatine's awe faded into anger.

"No!" he howled in fury, the entire room seeming to shake in response to Palpatine's reaction. Palpatine stormed over to to his desk, slamming his hand on the comm unit, bringing up the image of Ahsoka.

"Admiral, take Skywalker and the boy back to their cells. Schedule them all for execution to take place first thing in the morning. I want it broadcast across the entire galaxy so all will see just what happens when someone tries to go above me!"

"No!" Anakin cried, "No it's just me you want! Leave them alone!"

"Shut up, Skywalker, you've no say in the matter." Palpatine sneered as the door opened to reveal Ahsoka. She moved over towards Anakin, who was now holding Luke.

"Take them away." Palpatine waved his hand and turned his back to them.

"Get up." Ahsoka hissed. Anakin simply glared as he stood up, careful to mind Luke's injuries. The three of them walked out of the office and down the hall toward the cell Anakin had been held in the previous night.

The walk was silent, which brought Anakin both comfort and guilt. He hugged Luke closer, praying to the Force that he might forgive him whenever he woke up.

Just as they were about to reach the cell, Ahsoka took a sharp turn away and entered a small alcove sheltering a small door, leading to what seemed to be a broom closet. Anakin looked around and noticed there were no holocams. Ahsoka turned to him and held out his lightsaber, which he took with his free arm.

"I know you didn't have to do this, Ahsoka." Anakin murmered, his cerulean eyes fixated on Ahsoka's dull gray ones. "I can't thank you enough. And for what it's worth, I'm so, so sorry."

Ahsoka frowned, seeming to be somewhat taken aback. But this lasted only a moment, as the door to the broom closet slid open to reveal Padme, Obi-Wan, and Leia.

"Anakin! Luke! Thank the Force!" Padme cried, rushing to hug the two of them. She immediately tensed, however, at noticing Luke's current state. "What happened? What did _he_ do?" she growled. Anakin shook his head.

"It was my fault, Padme. Palpatine, he tried to convert him, but Luke, oh he was so strong. He stopped Palpatine from hurting me further. He _saved_ me." Padme's eyes widened, but then softened at what she heard, smiling down at her unconscious child.

"My boy." she whispered, kissing Luke gently on the forehead.

"We don't have much time." Ahsoka pressed, looking back down the hallway. "No doubt, the Emperor has noticed you haven't made it back to your cell."

"You're right." Obi-Wan nodded, resting a reassuring hand on Anakin's shoulder. Anakin handed Luke over to Padme and drew his lightsaber from his belt.

"Then let's go." Anakin replied, a small encouraging smile gracing his lips. Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Padme, and Luke quickly made their way out of the small alcove, but Anakin felt a quick tug on his gloved arm. He turned around to see Leia, quivering.

"What is it, Princess?" Anakin knelt down to her level.

"Daddy, are you scared?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

"I'm terrified." Anakin stated honestly, "But I'm not going to let that get in the way of protecting you. Now come, climb on."

"Luke'll be okay, right?" Leia asked as she hopped onto her father's back.

"Luke will be just fine, sweetheart." Anakin reassured, smiling again as he broke into a sprint to catch up with the others as alarms began to blare.

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"Sir, we've broken through the blockade." Raymus Antilles called back to Bail Organa. The duo was now seated in the _Tantive IV_ , Antilles at the helm. Numerous fighters flew ahead of them, taking down the unsuspecting Imperial Star Destroyers at an amazing rate. A few other cruisers carrying ground soldiers followed the _Tantive IV_ as it burst through the opening created by the fighters.

"We're all clear," Bail commed the other cruisers, "Begin your descents. We'll rendez-vous at the Imperial Palace. Be prepared to take heavy fire upon landing." He turned back to Antilles, lips tight and brow creased.

"No going back now." he added under his breath.

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Emperor Palpatine sat back in his office chair, flustered. First, Skywalker never makes it back to his cell, then Amidala and Kenobi are missing, and now he's getting commed from his planetary blockade that an entire _fleet_ has broken through and are now headed for the surface. He rubbed a hand over his temple.

 _Oh, this is not how I thought today would go..._ he thought.

He'd no doubt Tano had helped them. She had an agenda of her own, and he was obviously not a part of it. It mattered not, however. He knew they would all suffer soon enough, starting with Skywalker. For now, though, he simply commed his captain of the guard to inform him of the impending invasion.

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The Skywalkers arrived to the main landing platform of the Imperial Palace to find that all hell had broken loose. Stormtroopers were fighting against men and women of all different uniforms. From what they could see, for now the rebels were winning. They seized their opportunity to run towards what Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan recognized as the _Tantive IV._ Bail saw them coming and was able to call a few fighters to cover them.

"Padme! Anakin, Obi-Wan! Thank the Force you all are alright!" he grinned as the family plus Ahsoka made it to cover. "Not much of a fight, is it?" he chuckled.

"Not now, it's not." Ahsoka replied, looking back toward where the troopers were appearing. "I'm sure the Emperor has sent down reinforcements by now. They're probably on their way."

"Well, we have what we came for. Let's just hop on the _Tantive_ and get out of here." Everyone nodded amongst themselves, turning to get on the ship.

But something suddenly pulled Anakin's gaze toward the top of the palace. He realized that from his position, he could see the window to Palpatine's office. From there, he could just make out the Sith Lord's figure staring down at them. Anakin frowned, rage boiling within him. _He did this_ , he thought bitterly, _he is behind all of this. He must be stopped. Running away won't do anything._ He huffed, turning back toward the others.

"Daddy? Aren't we going too?" Leia asked, confused. She was still clinging to Anakin's tunic. Padme and Obi-Wan turned around, hearing Leia.

"I told you I was done running," he said, looking at Obi-Wan and Padme, "I meant it."

He suddenly handed Leia over to Obi-Wan, and rushed to kiss Padme on the cheek.

"Get them out of here." he ordered, pointing them to the ship. "I've got to take care of this."

"Ani," Padme started, worry lacing her voice.

"No, Padme. I mean it. I'll be quick. I can catch a ride. Just don't wait up for me." he looked to Obi-Wan, who nodded as if to say "I'll make sure she doesn't do something stupid".

Anakin turned around and started heading back to the palace, but Obi-Wan suddenly called to him.

"May the Force be with you, my brother." he offered up an encouraging smile. Anakin sent one his old master's way as well.

"You too, Master." he nodded.

And with that, he broke into a sprint, making his way to end Emperor Palpatine's rule. One way or another.

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 **Well there we go! Another one down. I decided to post this tonight so I wouldn't have to worry about doing it tomorrow. I'm pretty happy with this one, and I hope you enjoyed it. Man, I feel like I sound like a broken record every time I say that...**

 **The next chapters already half written, so it should be up pretty soon. Then again, the next couple weeks are going to be a little insane for me so I leave you no promises.**

 **Thanks for the continuing support of this fic. I really am writing this for my own enjoyment, but seeing other people getting something out of this is a huge bonus and it only motivates me more to get chapters up quicker.**

 **Let me know how I'm doing! Follow/Favorite/Review!**

 **Until next time,**

 **rennywrites**


	14. Duel of Fates: Part I

Anakin soon found himself outside of Palpatine's office. He only hoped the Sith Lord was still in there. Not missing a beat, Anakin forced the door open by hot-wiring the control panel, ready to take down the tyrant who had nearly (and in many ways, already) destroyed his life. The older, scarred man still sat at his desk, facing the window. He felt a strange deja vu come over him. He knew he had been here before, but now would be different. He had a mission. He had to destroy the man that already nearly destroyed the universe. He was quickly pulled out of his thoughts as the Emperor's chair turned to face him.

"Skywalker. You're a little early. Your execution isn't until morning." he said, calmly.

Anakin huffed. "I think you know why I'm here, _your majesty_." Palpatine raised a disfigured eyebrow.

"Oh? Please, humor me."

"I am here to put an end to your rule, Palpatine." Anakin replied sharply, pointing a gloved hand at the older man.

"You dare try to defy me, boy." he snarled, standing up.

"You lied to everyone. The Jedi were wrong, but they didn't need to be destroyed. You were the one who was destroying the Republic, not them." Anakin continued, holding his ground.

"You made it too easy, Anakin. You were so desperate for a friend. All I had to do was convince you that your precious Padme would die. Eventually, I would have killed her, but by then it would have been too late, and you would have been _mine._ "

Anakin struggled to hold his temper in check. One slip up, and he'd be back to where he was during the Purge.

"How dare you." Anakin hissed. "You will pay for your deceit."

"You really think you can defeat me, Anakin? Just make this easier on yourself. Surrender to my teachings, and all will be as it should," he coaxed, grinning.

"Enough. I will do what I must. I can't allow you to continue ruling over the galaxy." Anakin raised his lightsaber.

"You foolish Jedi. Anakin, I was so sure that you had some sense. I had hope for you, that you would join me and rule the galaxy by my side," he said, grin fading in slight disappointment.

"I see all those years, you manipulated me. I blame myself. I made it too easy for you, a mistake I will never make again. I am a _Jedi_. I will _never_ betray the Light." Anakin replied sharply, assuming his attack position.

"Then, old friend," Sidious started, igniting his own lightsaber, "You will die.

Sidious jumped towards Anakin, his blade meeting the young man's. Anakin was surprised at the strength of the Sith Lord, not expecting so much from the older, seemingly frail man. That didn't stop Anakin from fighting back, brushing off one of Sidious's strikes with a Force Push. Anakin charged Sidious, who was regaining his footing, only to have the Sith jump over him. Luckily, Anakin was quick enough to parry a slash to his back. He turned back around to face his opponent, managing to get another shot at Sidious's throat, though it was blocked. Neither man let go of the hold their lightsabers got into, each pushing against the other with the same amount of force. Anakin pulled away, causing Sidious to fall forward slightly. Anakin raised his lightsaber to Sidious's back, but he hesitated. It had been so long since he had killed. After that awful night, he swore he'd never do kill anyone again. But this was different! It should be easy! _Come on, Skywalker! Do it!_ he mentally screamed at himself.

This hesitancy was all Sidious needed to suddenly catch Anakin in a Force Choke-hold. He turned back around to face his opponent, cackling with satisfaction. Sidious then slammed Anakin against one of the walls, leaving a large crack in it. No sound came from Anakin other than a loud gasp as he struggled to take a breath. He was flung again, across the room, and into the grouping of sofas and caf tables. He could feel the splinters of balka wood poking into his skin. He was released from the Force Choke, taking a full breath. Anakin turned his head to see his lightsaber lying a few feet away from him. He reached his arm out, and it was immediately called to him. Ignoring the immense pain as old wounds were reopened, he stood up and ignited his 'saber. Sidious laughed indignantly.

"You think you can beat me? You're too weak. You've already lost, Skywalker." Sidious lowered his lightsaber, and continued, "Unless you join me. Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy! I can give you ultimate power!" Anakin's lightsaber remained raised.

"You liar!" Anakin shouted, "You have destroyed so much! If I joined you, I'd only become a pawn, just like Grievous and Dooku. Like Ahsoka. The only reason you want me is because you _fear_ me." Anakin took a step forward, managing to hide the pain he was in. Sidious frowned.

"The Sith fear nothing because they are the most powerful beings in the universe, Anakin. And I _will_ prove that to you. But if you will not join me, then I will get to you, one way or another. I will kill those closest to you, I will kill your family and that pathetic old master of yours. I will kill anyone who has even the smallest of ties to you. And then? Then you will come to me, begging for my knowledge. It is then that I will kill you. I will remind you that it was you who destroyed the lives of all those who had even dared walk into your own pathetic life. Your death will be slow, and painful, and only then will you see that I was right. In your last moments, you will see that the Dark Side is the pathway to power, and you will beg for me to teach you all I know. You will beg to rejoin me. And it is then that I will drive my lightsaber through your already broken heart." Anakin could feel the anger and frustration growing inside the Sith Lord. He knew the old man meant every word he said. _I have to end this_. He positioned himself in a defensive stance, ready for an attack.

With a yell, Sidious swung his lightsaber towards Anakin. It was blocked, but Anakin lost his defensive position. He then stabbed towards Sidious's left side, which was easily deflected. As Anakin was pulling his lightsaber back to strike again, Sidious kicked him in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards. This gave Sidious an opening, where he slashed his lightsaber across Anakin's face, who cried out and fell to the ground, covering his right cheek. Before he even had a chance to recover, Sidious willed lightning to burst from his fingertips. Anakin writhed in pain on the ground. _I can't!_ he thought. _I can't, I have to get out of here!_ The lightning ceased, and Sidious stepped closer to Anakin, looking down upon him.

 _Forgive me, Qui-Gon! Master Windu! Master Yoda! Obi-Wan!_

"And now, Anakin Skywalker," Sidious chuckled, "You will die."

 _Oh, Padme. Luke and sweet Leia._

 _Anakin._ The voice of Qui-Gon Jinn sang through the room, however Palpatine didn't seem to hear. With Qui-Gon's voice came a sudden surge from the Force. The inhibitors had finally worn off. He felt stronger, his mind no longer foggy.

 _Now is your chance. All of your training had led you to this moment. Now seize it!_

Anakin barely registered his old master's words before he was once again engulfed by lightning far more powerful than ever before. Any strength he thought he gained from his renewed connection to the Force was suddenly gone. Everything around him turned to white, his screams drowned out by a buzzing in his ears.

 _Anakin._ He could still hear Qui-Gon. _Let go of it all. Accept what the Force wills, and you will be able to stop him._

Let go? How the kriffing hell could he just "let go"? Anakin could hardly get thoughts through his brain, let alone tap into the Force. But white was turning to black, and he knew it wouldn't be much longer now. Palpatine seemed to be pushing harder and harder. Anakin could feel blood vessels exploding, his spasms were leaving bones and muscles damaged, possibly beyond repair. He recognized the warm trickle of blood running down from his nose, his skin was on fire. He was dying. He knew he was, there was no point in trying to fight it.

And in that moment of defeat did Anakin Skywalker _finally_ understand what he was meant to do.

With incredible determination, Anakin began taking deeper, slower breaths. The lightning lessened as Palpatine raised a confused eyebrow. The room around the two men began to shake as Anakin raised his hands, putting them in front of his body outstretched towards Palpatine. Suddenly, Anakin found that the lightning wasn't _hurting_ him anymore. It wasn't even _hitting_ him anymore. The lightning was being absorbed into his hands, helping to somehow strengthen him. He felt all of his fears and worries disappear, his guilt lifted from his shoulders. He was no longer thinking about the prophesy, no longer focused on fulfilling it. He thought of his family, and the freedom they should have to live the lives they deserved. He let go of his self-hatred and focused on giving them their best chance. He was no longer focusing on himself in relation to his family, but now he was focused on the rest of his family and how they deserved better. And stang, he was going to give them that better life, whether he was meant to be part of it or not. Palpatine lowered his hands and the lightning ceased. He dared to step closer to the younger man, who still laid on the ground with his eyes closed and chest heaving.

"Impossible. Impossi-!"

Palpatine was interrupted by Anakin, who managed to jump up and, in the process, kick Palpatine in the chin. Anakin landed and called his lightsaber back to him, positioning the blade right at the base of Palpatine's neck.

"No. Anakin, no!" he whimpered, suddenly sounding weak and helpless. But Anakin wasn't fazed.

"Enough is enough, _your highness_." he replied coolly.

He didn't hesitate this time, and he drove the lightsaber through the Sith Lord's throat. Anakin allowed himself to finally breath as the Emperor of the entire Galaxy fell to the ground, dead.

 _You have done well, Ani._ he heard the proud voice of his old master, and he smiled.

No, it was more of a grin. A grin that soon caused tears to run down his cheeks as a weight that had burdened the galaxy was finally lifted after so many years. Anakin knelt on the ground before the dead tyrant as the sun began to peek out of the black clouds, and continued to cry tears of joy as he realized that _he_ had done this. _He_ finally managed to save _everyone_. _He_ fulfilled the prophecy. _He_ really was the Chosen One.

Anakin's moment of pure joy was suddenly interrupted, though, by the sound of someone clapping behind him. His smile faded, and he felt his breath catch in his throat as he slowly turned around to face Ahsoka Tano.

"Well, well! I must say I'm _very_ impressed." she hissed, a smirk plastered on her face.

"Snips." Anakin breathed out, frowning at his old apprentice. "I gotta admit, I'm not surprised at all. Unfortunately for you, the others should be off planet by now. Palpatine has failed."

"Oh, believe me, Skywalker, having you kill Palpatine was a bonus. You were my prize all along. As for your family, I'd say I'm doing them a favor by getting rid of you." Ahsoka shifted her weight, her fingers twitching at her lightsaber. Her smirk melted into a frown. "You don't look too good, Skyguy."

"You should know it takes a lot to slow me down." Anakin replied gruffly, though he knew it was a facade. He slowly stood up, using up every ounce of strength he had left to keep from falling back down. "Please, Ahsoka. It doesn't have to be this way. I came back from the Dark Side, and I believe you could do it too."

"Please, spare me," Ahsoka laughed, rolling her eyes, "These foolish religions mean nothing to me now. Forget the Jedi and the Sith. The _Light Side_ and the _Dark Side_. Pft. I don't need any of that. I just wish it didn't take the person I cared for the most betraying and abandoning me to see that." Her tone of voice had grown darker, as she glared Anakin. He looked away, ashamed.

"I know I really screwed up, Ahsoka. I failed you in so many ways. And I know I will never have your forgiveness." he paused, hoping to see her lessen her hostilities, "But please, please don't do this."

Ahsoka merely responded by pulling her lightsaber and igniting it, a snarl on her face. Anakin sighed, pulling his own weapon out. Before anything else could be said, Ahsoka rushed Anakin, jumping at him. Anakin barely had time to ignite his lightsaber to defend himself. Their lightsabers continued to criss-cross in a flurry of blue and red, a pattern of Ahsoka charging Anakin and Anakin coming to close to being hit by her lightsaber. Anakin was suddenly reminded of their old sparring sessions, but this was different. Ahsoka had changed. Her form was no longer what he remembered. It was more aggressive.

Gone were Anakin's memories of him always beating her in their duels, her exasperation at his cockiness. It was no longer a matter of how long could the master give the padawan the impression that they were actually winning, but a matter of how long the dying could hold off an old friend intent on finishing the job.

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Obi-Wan Kenobi heaved a great sigh as he felt the Force flowing through him again. The inhibitors had worn off, which meant he could sense Anakin through the Force more clearly and not just through their bond. But it didn't take much effort for Obi-Wan to feel immense light coming from Palpatine's office. _He did it._ Obi-Wan grinned, momentarily forgetting his and the rest of the Skywalkers' predicament.

Imperial reinforcements had arrived and the rebels no longer had an escape route. Worst of all, Ahsoka had disappeared. While Obi-Wan had been grateful for her help in getting them out of the prison and getting them this far, he knew she had different plans for Anakin and for this he decided she couldn't be fully trusted.

Obi-Wan could sense the pain Anakin was in. Sidious had done a fine job with beating the poor man up over the past two weeks. There was no way Anakin would make it through another duel.

He quickly scanned the senate terrace-now turned battlefield- to find Padme. They had been separated when the reinforcements arrived, he had led a counter-attack while she had taken the children to hide. He found them pent up behind a large pillar, Padme blasting anyone who came near them. One stormtrooper had gotten too close, and Padme jumped him, taking him to the ground while still sending other troopers to their graves.

Obi-Wan moved speedily toward the pillar, taking out a few more troopers along the way. Padme flashed him a smile as he watched her back.

"Just like the old days." she shouted back at him.

"Yes I suppose it is!" he replied. The two friends backed each other to the pillar, where they had enough cover to speak.

"Anakin did it," Obi-Wan stated proudly, "Palpatine is gone."

Relief washed over Padme's face. "Then where is he? We need to get out of here!" Obi-Wan shook his head.

"I have a feeling someone has a score to settle with him."

"Ahsoka." she stated, frowning, "Stang! I knew I should have kept a better eye on her."

Silence was shared by the duo as another explosion lit up the terrace. The rebels were making another comeback as a multitude of A Wings descended from the sky.

"Is Anakin okay?" Padme asked, looking up at Obi-Wan. He closed his eyes, then opened them.

"He's in pain. He barely made it through the duel with Palpatine. I have to go help him."

Padme nodded, understanding.

"Take Luke and Leia to the ship. I'm sure the A-Wings were able to rip a hole in the Empire's defenses. They should be able to get a transport out now. I'll go get Anakin."

"And then what?" Padme asked, scooping Luke, who was still unconscious, into her arms. Obi-Wan offered up a smile.

"No worries. Anakin and I will find a way out of here." he replied. "We'll see you soon."

Padme chuckled and shook her head. She took hold of Leia's hand and started for the _Tantive IV_ while Obi-Wan took off for the Imperial Palace, hoping to find Anakin still in one piece.

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 **Another one done! As you can probably guess, our heroes are not done fighting yet. Anakin and Ahsoka still have to finish things off, and Obi-Wan still needs to step in and duke it out with Ahsoka. I decided to split it all between two chapters, partially because the last half hasn't been completely finished yet and also I don't like super insanely long chapters. It's better this way, just trust me. Plus I know a couple of you are really wanting to find out what happens next.**

 **Anyway, sorry about the little cliffhanger here, but I figured if I'm going to split this chapter into two, here would be the best place to stop.**

 **This story has really taken off and I'm so excited for where we're going. Thank you all so much for the reviews and PM's! I truly hope that you guys understand that you are a part of this story, too. All your encouragements and pointers have really helped me shape this story. I'm not even using the original story as a reference anymore. I hope that you can see that in the story. _THANK YOU SO MUCH!_**

 **Whew, alright enough of my blabbering. I'll update as soon as I can, but we all should know by now that it either means I'll update next week or next month. We'll see how it goes.**

 **Review/Follow/Favorite, etc.**

 **Until next time!**

 **rennywrites**


	15. Duel of Fates: Part II

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Wars.**

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Anakin had broken a sweat as he and Ahsoka once again locked lightsabers. He was breathing heavily, blocking slash after slash. Ahsoka had him pinned against the wall with her lightsaber, and she kicked his knee out from under him. Anakin shouted in pain as he landed heavily on the floor. Ahsoka laughed with delight as she used the Force to pull Anakin's lightsaber to her. She threw it to the side and placed her lightsaber on her belt. She then grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and pull him up to her level.

Anakin only had milliseconds to look pleadingly into her harsh, yellow eyes before he was thrown to the ground, a soft _oompf_ escaping his lips. He rolled on to his back as Ahsoka jumped on top of him, throwing punches with both her mechnos.

Now, Anakin had been punched by many droids, and was very accustomed to the feeling of metal meeting his face. But this was a whole different feeling. There was real, raw emotion behind these punches, and each time Ahsoka's mechno connected with his now broken jaw and nose, he could swear she was getting angrier and angrier.

He caught one of her metal fists and, with some help from the Force, was able to throw her off of him. And not too soon, for he could feel the entire right side of his face swelling as blood ran from the searing parting gift Sidious had given him moments ago. He staggered to his feet just as Ahsoka pulled a blaster from her hip.

"That's enough." she hissed, aiming the gun at Anakin. He froze, raising his hands.

"Please Ahsoka," he panted, "Don't do this. Don't give into the darkness. Be better than I was. Come back to the light." Ahsoka scoffed.

"And what did the light ever do for me?" she shot back. "When I lost my hands, when I was left for dead, when all that I cared about was destroyed by you the 'light' that the Jedi would worship was nowhere. And in the absence of the light, I learned to live in the dark."

Anakin had no response to that. He frowned, turning away. He suddenly realized that it had been much the same for him in his brief fall to the dark side. It was Padme and Obi-Wan who had brought him back. Once upon a time, he might have been able to do the same for his old padawan, but he had been what destroyed all that she had known and loved. It was his fault for all of this.

And in that moment he realized that there was no bringing her back.

He sighed. Guilt swept over him, tears pooling in his eyes. He fell to his knees, no longer able to stand. Ahsoka's blaster followed him carefully.

"You're right." he croaked. At this, Ahsoka smiled.

"I've been waiting years to hear that." she smirked. "And to do this."

A red bolt of energy flew through the air and embedded itself into Anakin's shoulder. He shouted in pain as he fell back, hitting the carpet with a hard _thud_. He spared a glance at the hole burned into his shoulder, the wound cauterized immediately. Black spots began to blur his vision as he laid his head back.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan's voice suddenly rang through the room, but Anakin was too far gone to reply.

Ahsoka kneeled down next to him, seeming to ignore Obi-Wan's presence.

"Thank you for that." she whispered, watching as his blue orbs darkened and his head fell limply to the side.

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Leia Skywalker felt everything. And she had no doubt Luke felt it too. Her mother had sat them down by the ship's landing ramp and ordered them to wait for her to come back with Bail. Luke was now awake, more or less, but he remained completely silent. This irked Leia further. It was killing her that she had no idea what was going on. Her father was in pain, Luke was catatonic, Obi-Wan and her mother had run off in separate directions, and she was left to wonder what in the name of the stars above was going on.

Her internal lament was cut off, however, as she suddenly gasped. The skin on her shoulder felt as though it were on fire. Fearing she had been shot by one of the stormtroopers nearby, she quickly looked down to see that there was nothing there. That meant only one thing. _Daddy?_ she called out through her bond with Anakin, but there was no response. She could feel him, back in the building where he had run off to earlier. He was in pain, so much pain. And it was as if she couldn't do anything about it.

Or could she?

She dared to steal a glance back towards her mother, who was busy at the moment with a sudden ambush by the stormtroopers. She looked at Luke and huffed. He'd probably end up ratting her out. He was known to do that from time to time, but at this point Leia didn't care about the possible consequences. She just knew she had to get up to her father.

So letting the Force be her guide, she sprinted into the Imperial Palace.

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 _Two seconds too late_. Obi-Wan mentally reprimanded himself, but that was all he could afford to think of about that as he looked down at his fallen brother. He needed to focus on the here and now.

"Obi-Wan!" Ahsoka smiled, calling her lightsaber to her, "Just in time. I was about to rid the galaxy of its greatest pest."

"I think that's quite enough, Ahsoka." Obi-Wan replied calmly, reaching towards his own lightsaber.

"Is it? Come now, _Master_. The fun is just beginning." Ahsoka looked back down at Anakin, smirking. "Besides, I was hoping you might want to get in on this."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow in confusion. "And what might you mean by that?"

"Justice, Obi-Wan. Justice!" Ahsoka hissed, holding a fist up. "Look at him. He took everything from you, yet you let him walk away. He never deserved any of this. He didn't deserve to be swept up by the Jedi. Didn't deserve to be treated like the so-called _Chosen One_ he is.

"And worst of all? Just look at the temple!" She cried, gesturing to the grand bay window where the temple ruins could be seen just through the buildings. "They were your _family_. All you ever knew, and he was able to destroy it all on a matter of a few hours. And he gets to walk away from it all without paying for his treachery. So unjust! Don't tell me that doesn't make your blood boil."

"We all had a part in Anakin's fall, whether we want to face that or not." Obi-Wan replied harshly.

"That's what you've been telling yourself for six years? Come on, Kenobi. He's the source of all this trouble. It'd be so easy to just fix it all right now by killing him. Then you can move on. Start a new Jedi Order perhaps! Then everything could be set right."

Obi-Wan couldn't believe this. She was actually trying to turn _him_ against Anakin. Sure Anakin had always been a thorn in his side, and was one of the main sources of pain in his life. But, as Obi-Wan came to realize those years ago in Padme's apartment, he loved that mess of a man. Obi-Wan stiffened, looking hard at Ahsoka.

"How dare you." he spat, "I would rather lay my weapon down and let you kill without a fight if it meant saving Anakin. I have no doubt he would do the same for me. I'm disappointed in you, Ahsoka. You had so much potential, but you too have been lost to Palpatine's manipulations. I was able to save Anakin, but I see he wasn't able to save you."

"You're gonna regret this, Kenobi." Ahsoka snarled, igniting her lightsaber. Obi-Wan followed suit.

"I highly doubt I will."

Before he knew it, Ahsoka threw a chair at him. Obi-Wan was able to cut it away as Ahsoka jumped through the debris. He was able to shove her off of him while striking at her. She parried and flipped over him, kicking him in the face. He fell back a few steps, but quickly recovered. Ahsoka came back hard, chuckling as their lightsabers locked. She pushed down on Obi-Wan's saber harder, but Obi-Wan pushed back, using the weapons to flip over her. He land across the room by the window. He brought his lightsaber back, prepared for Ahsoka's next attack. Ahsoka advanced toward him, frustration etched her face. She began another string of attacks, but the older man was able to dodge and duck under every strike. Ahsoka huffed and suddenly glanced out the large window. A grin spread across her face, leaving Obi-Wan confused.

In a flash, the young girl jumped through the window, shattering the glass with her lightsaber. Obi-Wan grunted and jumped out after her, landing on the roof of one of the landing platforms untouched by the rebel's battle on the other side of the palace.

"Figured you could use some fresh air, old man." Ahsoka sneered as she attacked again.

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Leia bounded into the large room just as Obi-Wan and Ahsoka jumped out of the shattered window. Her mouth hung open at the sight, running over to the edge of the window to catch a glimpse of her uncle dueling that Admiral Tano (who she had thought was on their side up until now, leaving her more confused than she needed to be but that was an issue for another time…). She had always dreamed of seeing him in action. In her father's stories Obi-Wan was always described as the "negotiator", but in many cases was able to showcase his swordsmanship against some of the biggest bad guys in the galaxy.

 _Father._ Leia suddenly snapped back to attention, scanning the room for her father. Her non-wounded hand flew to her mouth as her eyes befell the broken man laying across the room.

"Daddy!" She shouted, breaking into a sprint to Anakin's side. She knelt down beside him and took his right hand into hers.

The right side of his face was swollen, his eye forced close. A deep cut ran from just under his right ear to the left side of his chin. Part of it was cauterized, but the other part was left bruised and bleeding. Leia saw that strange patterns now marred her father's skin; traces of pinker second-degree burns that looked like lightning bolts. His nose was bleeding and there was a black burn on his left shoulder. He was panting, obviously having troubles breathing.

After taking the sight in, the six year old had to look away. It was too much for her to bear. This battered mess was her _father_. Her left hand clenched itself into a fist, but quickly unclenched as pain spiked through her injured wrist. This wasn't fair. What did her family do to deserve this? What did her father do to deserve this?

A pit feeling in her stomach told her that she would most likely find out later. But for now, she decided that she would comfort her father until help arrived.

"Leia?" a weak voice called her attention back to the broken man. She gently squeezed his hand.

"I'm here, daddy. I'm right here," was all she could say, shakily.

"My sweet Leia." Anakin moaned. "Is Luke alright?"

"Uh huh," she replied, "He's with mama."

Anakin nodded and the two remained silent for a moment.

"I'm so sorry, Leia." Anakin suddenly cried, breaking into gentle sobs. Leia was completely taken aback. She could feel her father's guilt radiating through their bond. He was incredibly upset, and the young girl felt helpless. She couldn't do anything for him but hold his hand and whisper encouragements.

"I forgive you, daddy. Whatever it is you did, I forgive you." She tried to assure him.

Anakin's unfocused gaze managed to find his daughter's.

"How could you? I'm a monster. I don't deserve any of this." Leia shrugged.

"You're my daddy. You're stuck with me, and I'm stuck with you. That's how family works."

Anakin found he was able to muster up a half of a smile upon hearing this.

"I guess you've got a point there, Princess."

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Just as Obi-Wan parried another attack from the red blade, Ahsoka jumped up and kicked him again, sending him flying across the roof. He found he was panting heavily. _Come on Kenobi, you're not_ _that_ _old._ He shook his head, standing back up.

"I was hoping you would see Skywalker's death as justice, Kenobi. If you can't believe that, then I have a feeling Padme won't either. You all are just as bad as _him_. Perhaps I should just kill all of you then." She smirked as Obi-Wan huffed. "A pity that the _children_ will have to pay for the sins of their father."

Obi-Wan felt something snap inside of him. Those children were part of his universe. He was their Uncle Obi. To have them killed by this monster would be yet another failure on his shoulders. He frowned as Ahsoka leaped over to him, landing on top of him, their lightsabers locked. Holding all of Ahsoka's weight, it took all of his strength to push her off of him. He turned a full three-sixty and swung his lightsaber back at her. She batted it away, scraping the durasteel with her blade. Obi-Wan kicked her away, swinging his lightsaber again as Ahsoka brought down her blade. With the swing, Obi-Wan heard the clatter of a durasteel hand and a lightsaber. Ahsoka shrieked in fury, seeing what Obi-Wan had done. He held his lightsaber to her chest.

"It's over, Ahsoka." Obi-Wan huffed.

He watched Ahsoka carefully as she searched for an escape, eyeing her lightsaber still clutched in her severed prosthetic.

"Don't try it." He pleaded. He didn't want it to be like this.

With lightning speed, she reached for her lightsaber, catching and igniting it as she attempted to flip over Obi-Wan. Anticipating this, Obi-Wan thrust his lightsaber above him, into Ahsoka's flight path. Another anguished cry, and the girl fell to the ground with a _thud_. A deep gash was burned deep into her abdomen, it was apparent to Obi-Wan that the wound was fatal. He deactivated his weapon and returned it to his side, sighing deeply.

A great sadness washed over the older man as what was left of his small bond with the girl broke. She had been like a padawan to him, and seeing what she had become was so painful. Anakin would be heartbroken when he found out. He loved the young girl like a sister, maybe even a daughter. Tears sprang to his eyes as the girl turned to face him, anger distorting her features.

"Jedi scum!" She cursed, gasping in pain. Obi-Wan shook his head.

"You have it all wrong, Ahsoka. If you had just put your anger and lust for revenge aside, we might have been able to figure this out!" He yelled in frustration.

"It doesn't matter. Skywalker will soon be dead. You will have gained nothing, and I'll take ease in knowing I will have a restful afterlife now that that _monster_ isn't roaming the galaxy. I'd say I've done you a favor!"

Obi-Wan paused at this, remembering Anakin's current state. He called through their weakened bond, praying for an answer. Back in the office, he felt another presence answer him. _Leia!_ She was with Anakin, her mere presence seemed to be giving Anakin strength. The bond between Anakin and his children never ceased to amaze Obi-Wan. _He may live through this yet._ Obi-Wan thought with a smile.

"You're wrong, Ahsoka." Obi-Wan stated. "Anakin will make it through this. You see, we have something a little more powerful than your lust for 'justice'. We have love. Love strong enough to hold the darkness back, strong enough to hold us all together, and strong enough to withstand anything you and your kind decide to throw our way. You will always lose. The Jedi have learned to adapt, making us just as strong as you and your Sith predecessors. But we will always have love in our hearts to push away the doubt, hatred, and greed that the Dark Side breeds. Our love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and _always_ perseveres."

Ahsoka snorted. "Yeah. That's what I used to believe too."

Obi-Wan frowned as the young Togruta let her head fall back to the ground, one final breath escaping her lips.

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"No!" Anakin gasped, suddenly. Leia jumped in surprise, but Anakin didn't notice. He ripped his hand from Leia's and placed it on his abdomen. It burned, much like the lightsaber scar across his face. But he knew the pain wasn't his.

His head was pounding now, as he could feel a small thread in his mind snap. It wasn't as strong as it used to be, as it had gone years without use. But Anakin had refused to break it years before, not wishing to lose what good was left of his old friend.

 _Oh Snips._ He called through the bond one last time, hoping to hear something. But there was no reply.

"It's all my fault," he choked. "All of this: the Jedi, Ahsoka, Luke. All of it. Force, what have I done!"

He was shaking violently, panting. His guilt was killing him. He couldn't handle all of this. He had tried _so hard_ to be good. But he couldn't do it. He wasn't _strong enough_. And yet another friend had paid for his failure.

But then he was swept up in a hurricane of warmth and love, pushing the grief and darkness away from him. He looked up to see that Obi-Wan had jumped in through the window, a concerned frown on his face. Leia jumped up and ran to him, embracing him. He gave the child a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and continued on towards the broken man.

Obi-Wan knelt down and placed a soft hand on Anakin's forehead. He cracked a smile.

"Well, Anakin, this is another fine mess you've gotten yourself into." he whispered.

"Ahsoka?" Anakin moaned softly. Obi-Wan's expression faded into a sad frown.

"I'm so sorry Anakin." he sighed, "I tried. Really, I tried."

Anakin choked on another sob and turned his head away. Palpatine's dead body caught his attention. "I did it." he muttered. Obi-Wan grinned.

"I know, Anakin." he replied. "I'm so proud of you. So, _so_ proud."

Anakin turned back to Obi-Wan, a small smile on his face.

"But I guess this is the price of restoring balance to the Force." he placed a shaking hand on the flesh near the blaster wound, wincing.

"Don't be so dramatic." Obi-Wan frowned, almost tempted to roll his eyes. If Anakin weren't in so much pain, he would have chuckled. "You're going to be fine."

"Is that a threat?" he dared, his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. He believed a nap was in order, especially in his current state. Obi-Wan laughed at this.

"No, my friend." he began to reply as Anakin slipped out of consciousness. "It's a promise."

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In a matter of minutes, a squad of rebels burst through the door. Padme ran straight for Leia, and had already begun a serious lecture about her running off like that. Obi-Wan chuckled. It scared him how much Padme and Leia reminded him of how he was with Anakin. He stood up as he was shooed away by a team of medics that now surrounded Anakin. He walked over to the mother/daughter duo as Padme wrapped up her point. Before Leia could begin a string of arguments against Padme, he placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder.

"I believe you'll need to get that wrist looked at." he stated, smiling down at Leia. "I wrapped it as best I could, but you figure that was weeks ago and I hardly have enough medical training to guarantee you that it has been doing you more good than harm." Leia offered a toothy grin.

"Oh, Uncle Ben. I think you did a good job with it!" Obi-Wan chuckled, looking back up at Padme.

"And where is Luke?" he asked.

"Already on the medical frigate. He needs some rest, and a good talk with his father as soon as he gets patched up." she replied, gesturing to Anakin.

"I have a feeling that's something we all need." he nodded thoughtfully.

"Come," Padme stated, "I'll bring you two to the frigate. We can meet up with Anakin later."

The three of them began walking out of the large office as Padme suddenly looked over to where Palpatine lay dead. A hand flew to her mouth as she realized that her husband had defeated the Sith. He had managed to destroy the very thing that was destroying the galaxy. He redeemed himself. Padme allowed a small smile, feeling pride for her love's accomplishment. She continued with Leia and Obi-Wan out of the palace and back to the ship, leaving the Imperial Palace behind as the sun began to set on the Galactic Empire.

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 **And there we go. That does it for the duels in this fic. I hope you liked them. I'm still kind of figuring out just how to write them out but I think this will do.**

 **So what do you think!? I know I got a few reviews and messages saying "don't kill her" and "make her come back", and it was kind of painful for me to write. But it needed to happen. It's the way it was in the original, and I felt like I owed it to my eighth grade self not to change it. But I still want to know how you guys feel about it.**

 **We've still got one more chapter plus an epilogue. Both of those will probably be kind of short. Just a few resolutions and such. Other than that, this rewrite will be coming to a close! It makes me sad to see it be all done, but I've got more great ideas for other stories and I'm about ready for something new.**

 **That does it for now! Until next time!**

 **renny writes**


	16. Recovery

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.**

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Obi-Wan Kenobi leaned back in his chair for a moment, stroking Gucci the family lothcat, who now sat on the older Jedi's lap. The children had been overjoyed when Captain Antilles returned the pet. It gave them something to play with as they waited for Anakin to wake up. Obi-Wan turned to face the large window that looked out to Coruscant's vast cityscape. Luke and Anakin's recovery room sure had a great view. Obi-Wan turned back to face the two patients. Luke was sleeping, though he had been awake not even an hour ago. The six year old had sustained a minor concussion plus a few burns from the lightning.

Anakin was a very different story. First degree burns lined his body, most would heal in time but some would leave scars. The lightsaber cut across his face had luckily missed his eye and mouth, but left a nasty scar running from under his ear to his chin. His left arm had to be re-set after going too long without medical attention. Obi-Wan chuckled at Anakin's pink clad arm. Young Leia absolutely _demanded_ that her father's cast match hers. Another cut ran across his chest, complimented by a scarred blaster wound on his left shoulder. And that was just the external damage. Doctors were still working to rid Anakin of seizures and muscle spasms. It would be a long road to recovery for his friend. Despite these complications, however, the doctors assured him and Padme that Anakin would be waking soon.

Obi-Wan had volunteered to stay in the Skywalkers' hospital room as Padme took Leia down to the mess to get something to eat. She was also meeting with Bail Organa to discuss the next step for the rebellion in its fight to restore the Republic.

Obi-Wan sighed, setting Gucci down and picking his DataPad up from a small table. He began to scroll through the HoloNet news feed, smiling at what he was seeing. It would take a long time to completely disband the Empire, but cutting the head off the serpent was a good start for the rebellion. Obi-Wan was pulled out of his reading at the sound grunting over in Anakin's bed. He looked up, surprised to see that Gucci had hopped onto the bed next to Anakin, and was now licking his face. Obi-Wan chuckled as he set his DataPad back down. He pulled his chair closer to Anakin, knowing the family pet would be enough of a nuisance to wake him up. After all, the lothcat often acted as Anakin's alarm clock back on Iego. As Gucci continued licking his owner, Anakin managed to push the lothcat off of his chest with his right arm, slowly opening his eyes.

"Damn cat." he mumbled as Gucci screeched upon landing on the floor.

Anakin groaned and turned to face his old master, and of all things, smiled. Or, Obi-Wan thought it was a smile. The doctors had numbed half of Anakin's face to allow the scar to heal without him fussing with it. It left his smile looking like something out of a horror holovid. Obi-Wan laughed softly.

"Welcome back to the land of the living!" he grinned.

"I can't feel my face." Anakin slurred.

"Well, you are on _a lot_ of pain killers." Obi-Wan laughed. Anakin nodded and turned to face his left arm.

"What the hell is this?" he asked, lifting the pink arm up.

"That was your daughter's idea. She has one to match." Anakin couldn't help rolling his eyes. As he was looking back up to Obi-Wan, he noticed Luke in the bed next to him. Anakin paled, straining to look at his young son. Obi-Wan glanced back at Luke and then turned to Anakin. "He's fine, Anakin. Just a minor concussion and some burns. He's almost fully recovered."

Anakin laid his head back down on his pillow, closing his eyes tightly. "It doesn't change the fact that it was my fault."

"Don't do that, Anakin. You know this isn't just your fault." Obi-Wan frowned.

Anakin resisted the urge to roll his eyes, annoyed with how many times he'd heard that phrase in the past few weeks. "No matter how many times you tell me that, it doesn't change the fact that I had choices along the way. I could've chosen a different path. Instead, I let my fear control me, and the galaxy paid for it."

"You're right, Anakin. In the end, it was you who was in control of your own destiny. You made bad choices, but you regret those choices! You came back when many believed you were gone for good." Obi-Wan's smile returned, albeit smaller. "Not only did you come back, but you righted your wrong by destroying Palpatine."

"But is it enough? Is it enough to earn the Jedi's forgiveness for what I have done?" Anakin cried.

"To hell with the Jedi, Anakin!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, leaving Anakin in shock. "All these years, you've apologized for taking my family away from me. Sure, I miss them, but have you ever stopped to consider that maybe they weren't my _real_ family?" Anakin remained silent.

"Anakin, the years I've spent with you and your family, they've shown me that the love you feel in your heart is not a weakness. The Jedi were wrong to berate you for showing so much emotion. Those feelings gave you strength when you expressed them correctly. Sure you would get upset or afraid, but that's what Palpatine used against you. He played on those fears and he knew how to anger you. That's how he got to you. You fell to the Dark Side only because Palpatine set it up so that all you had to do was say the word. He just wasn't counting on your love for Padme being so strong, enough to bring you back before anymore damage could be done." Anakin frowned.

"I suppose you're right. But I've still got to smooth everything over with Luke," he replied, looking back over at his sleeping son. "Where are Padme and Leia?"

"Downstairs, getting something to eat. Padme and Bail are discussing the next political steps for the Rebellion." Obi-Wan continued, seeing Anakin's brow raise in confusion, "We've retaken Coruscant. There are more Imperials still out there, but Padme believes now is the time to establish a government and call all systems to rally against the Empire."

"That's amazing!" Anakin exclaimed, proud to know Padme was back on the political front.

As if on cue, the two Skywalker girls entered the room, each carrying a small pastry. Obi-Wan moved to help Anakin into a sitting position. Upon seeing Anakin wide awake, Padme Skywalker's face lit up with joy.

"Oh, Ani!" she cried, kissing him gently on his forehead. "Thank the stars you're awake."

Padme moved over to Luke's bedside as young Leia poked her head over Obi-Wan's shoulder. Anakin released Padme's hand and reached for his daughter. The girl stepped timidly around her mother and up to the side of the bed, a small smile on her lips.

"Hi, Daddy." She smiled planting a kiss on his cheek. Anakin grinned, reaching his prosthetic up to stroke her cheek.

"Hey Princess," he replied, dropping his hand back to his side.

"Can we go home now?" Leia asked, cocking an eyebrow. Anakin burst into laughter.

"Leia, that's something Mommy and I need to talk about." Anakin replied, looking over at Padme, who was waking Luke. He frowned slightly. "But for now, there's something that we need to talk to discuss as a family."

Leia's shoulders slouched. Anakin scooted over in his bed to make room for Leia to climb up. Minding the various tubes and wires surrounding her father, she joined him on the bed as Padme carried the drowsy Luke over. The two of them sat snug a chair on the other side of Anakin. Obi-Wan stood up, placing a hand on Anakin's shoulder.

"I think I'll go grab a bite to eat while you all talk." He stated. Anakin nodded as his old friend walked toward the door. He gave the family another smile before murmuring a short "Good luck" to them as the door shut behind him.

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Anakin sighed, looking at his two children. For a moment, he was taken back to when they had been born. He had been a nervous wreck that day. If Obi-Wan hadn't been there to calm him down, he feared he might have fallen back into the Dark Side's grasp. It was when he walked into Padme's hospital room where she was holding both children in her arms did it hit him. He had a _family_. He had two beautiful babies that would grow up to be amazing people. He initially refused to hold them when Padme offered him Leia. They were so tiny and perfect, he suddenly felt _unworthy_. He was a monster. He didn't deserve them, not by a long shot. Not even a month before had he destroyed the Jedi Temple and almost lost his family. Swept with guilt, he had bolted from the maternity ward with Obi-Wan running after him.

 _"Anakin, wait!" Obi-Wan called out as Anakin reached the waiting room. He was breathless, tears threatening to fall from his eyes._

 _"I can't do it. I_ _ **can't**_ _Obi-Wan." he cried, shaking. "I don't deserve them. I can't do it."_

 _"Listen, Anakin," Obi-Wan placed a hand on his shoulder, "This is a gift. Those children in there are a gift from the Force. Can't you see? They're your second chance!"_

 _At this, Anakin looked up. He had felt it when the children arrived. An explosion in the Force that surrounded him in light. Obviously, his old master was much better at interpreting signs from the Force than he was. Yet he shook his head in doubt._

 _"I don't deserve a second chance." he moaned, frustrated._

 _"Tough shab." Obi-Wan retorted, causing Anakin to look up. "Whether you deserve it or not, those children need you, Anakin. Your_ _ **family**_ _needs you. You may think you're not the father they deserve, but you're the father they're stuck with. So it'd be best to just go up there and start proving to those kids, and yourself, that you are a good person."_

Anakin smiled at the memory. It was the best 'pep talk' he had ever received. And though it took a while, he had managed to prove himself to his children. He just needed to prove it again.

He looked over at Padme, who nodded. Anakin knew he had to be the one to explain everything to the children, but he also knew that if it was needed, Padme would be able to jump in and take over for a bit.

"I suppose the best place to start is the Battle of Coruscant." He decided out loud, gaining Luke's attention. Thankfully, his son didn't seem so upset with him anymore, though Anakin had his doubts about how Luke would fair listening to this story. But it had to be done.

It took Anakin over a standard hour to recount the entire story of his temporary fall, taking breaks every now and then to rest. He was often asked questions, most of which he gladly answered. Whatever helped Luke and Leia understand. He discussed the tale of Darth Plagueis and how Palpatine had used that to make Anakin believe he could save Padme, as well as Padme and Obi-Wan's intervention on Mustafar. Anakin was pretty sure he had all corners covered while still keeping the story somewhat kid friendly. He finally finished with his fulfillment of the Chosen One prophesy by killing the Emperor. The children were completely silent. Then, of course, Leia was the first to speak.

"I don't get it," she said, looking up at Anakin, "You're not a bad person. But you've done a lot of bad things." Anakin smiled at this, happy to know Leia still had a decent opinion of him.

"Nobody is perfect, Leia." he replied, "Everyone has made mistakes. I regret mine very deeply, but that doesn't change the fact that they're still there. Our mistakes are what help us grow. How we learn from our mistakes is what defines us as people." Leia nodded at this, seeming content with her father's answer.

"What do you think, Luke?" Padme asked, causing Luke to squirm slightly in her lap.

"I think I understand," he began quietly, looking up at Anakin, "You did everything because you thought it would help Leia, Mommy, and me. The emperor made it worse by giving you those nightmares, making you think the only way to help was by joining him."

Padme looked at Anakin a grinned. He smiled back, somewhat relieved. His children understood, thank the Force.

"Luke, Leia. I'm sorry we had to keep this from you." Anakin said, shaking his head. "That was my fault. I let my fears of what you might think get in the way of telling you the truth in the first place."

"I forgive you, Daddy," Leia piped up, "Just as long as we don't have to get kidnapped again. I didn't like that." Anakin chuckled in agreement.

"Me too, Dad." Luke said, offering a small smile. He hopped off his mother's lap and climbed onto Anakin's bed, on the other side of Leia. They hugged eachother close, Padme joining in on the side. "But Dad?"

"Yes, Luke?"

"Do you think, maybe you can teach me to be a Jedi now?"

Anakin chuckled, overjoyed knowing Luke still wanted to pursue his dream of being a Jedi, even if it wasn't necessarily in his father's footsteps. "Of course, Luke. Of course."

The family sat in silence for a few moments, completely happy with just being in one another's company. Anakin Skywalker decided in that moment that earning his children's forgiveness was enough for him, and that maybe it was time to completely let go of his guilt. And let go he did, feeling his connection with the Force deepen and his love for his family grow.

The sun had finally set on his old ways of guilt and sadness. A new day was beginning.

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 **Yeah! Another chapter! The last official chapter, to be exact. Up next is just a short epilogue that I thought would end this fic on a sweet note. That should be up by tomorrow.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **-renny writes**


	17. Epilogue

:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/ _Five Years Later_ \:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\

"Luke! Leia! I could really use some help in here!" Padme Skywalker called through the large Coruscant apartment, attempting to juggle a whole load of groceries, with Threepio tottling behind.

It had been decided not long after Palpatine's assassination that the Skywalkers needed to stay on Coruscant in order to help transition the galaxy back to a democratic form of government. Padme had been reinstated as the Senator from Naboo while Bail Organa had been elected Chancellor of the New Republic. After years of hard work on what used to be the Rebellion's part, the Empire had been completely disbanded. The Senate had managed to rewrite the Constitution and was now in the process of welcoming back more and more systems.

Feet came pounding around the corner as eleven year-olds Luke and Leia Skywalker rushed to help their mother with the food. They were expecting company that evening. Padme's parents, as well as her sister and nieces, were coming for a brief visit and all were gathering for dinner at the Skywalkers.

"Sorry, Mom!" Luke called from behind a large box of groceries, "We were trying fit Gucci with a-"

"Luke, I don't even want to know." Padme interrupted, starting to stock things into the cooling unit. "That poor lothcat really drew the short straw by ending up with you two."

"Please, Mom," Leia replied, mock rolling her eyes, "Gucci has never objected to our modifications." Padme only shook her head.

They were soon met with the sound of the front door opening, and a loud "Hello!" echoing through the apartment.

"Dad!" the twins shouted in unison, running to greet their father. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi walked through the door, returning from another long day of working to rebuild the Jedi Order. Reconstruction of the Order had a slow start, but Anakin and Obi-Wan were finally getting in contact with more and more Jedi who had spent recent years in hiding.

"Uncle Ben!" Leia cried, hugging her 'uncle', "We didn't think you were going to join us tonight!"

"Well, your father managed to convince me by saying your mother was planning to over do it." the older man chuckled lightly, looking at all of the food accumulated on the counter. "It seems he was right."

"Better to have too much than too little." Padme remarked, already putting Threepio to work with mixing a blend of spices to be rubbed on the shaak roast.

Soon enough Leia, Obi-Wan, and Artoo had been put to work. Padme was about to give Anakin and Luke jobs, but Anakin quickly cut in.

"Padme, I need to borrow Luke for something. We'll be back before dinner." Anakin said, already pushing Luke towards the door.

"What!" she cried, incredulously. "Absolutely not! Ani, Sola's coming and you _know_ how she can be when something, _anything,_ is out of place."

"Oh come on, Padme. We won't be gone long." Anakin coaxed. Padme frowned.

"Fine. But Anakin Skywalker if you are even a minute late, there _will_ be hell to pay."

"Promise?" Anakin grinned, rushing to give Padme a peck on her cheek, then running out the door.

Anakin and Luke hopped into the family speeder and took off over the Coruscant skyline.

"So where are we going?" Luke asked over the rush of traffic. Anakin smiled wide.

"It's a surprise!"

Soon enough, the Jedi Temple came into view. For years, Luke and Leia had not been allowed to go with their father on his trips there. It was still considered too dangerous, as it had become dilapidated from years of vacancy. It's five spires remained standing tall, a beacon of hope for Luke. Anakin had begun to teach the twins the ways of the Force shortly after the Rebellion's victory over the Empire. Leia hadn't taken much interest in it, but Luke continued to learn from his father, becoming his 'padawan' of sorts.

Luke gaped at the beautiful temple as it drew nearer. He was finally sure that this was where Anakin was taking him.

"No way." he murmered. Anakin looked over and smiled at Luke's excitement.

Anakin parked the speeder by the main entrance, with Luke jumping out before it even came to a complete stop.

"Woah! This is insane!" Luke shouted as Anakin rushed to catch up with him. They entered the Temple's Main Hall, met with a large statue of a Jedi, holding a ball suspended above the palm of its hand.

"How did they do that?" Luke gasped. Anakin chuckled.

"The mysteries of the temple have never ceased to amaze me." He replied.

"In other words, you don't know." Luke stated, a smile playing on his lips. The two broke into a fit of laughter. Luke continued to look around in awe and wonder of the temple, hardly believing that he was actually there. All his life he had dreamed of visiting the home of the Jedi. After learning of how the Jedi fell at the hands of his father that dream had wavered, seeming that the Jedi really were gone for good. But Anakin had refused to give up, almost immediately setting to work with Obi-Wan to rebuild.

Now, hundreds of surviving Jedi called the temple home once again. Luke silently wished that maybe he could meet one of those Jedi as he and his father continued through the temple.

"Would you like a tour?" Anakin asked. "We'll have to keep it short, seeing your mother wants us home as soon as possible."

"Yeah!" Luke exclaimed loudly. He didn't care how long the tour was, he was just overjoyed to be at the temple.

Anakin led him through as much of the temple as he could, sharing story after story of his time as a Jedi. They sauntered through the Room of One Thousand Fountains, the Archives, training rooms, starfighter hangars, the Contemplation Gardens, and more. Never had Anakin seen Luke so focused. Luke was often difficult to take to museums, as he was easily bored. But he was so entranced by his surroundings, Anakin feared that he might not be able to get Luke to leave when the time came.

The tour had come to what seemed to be the end, father and son standing outside two large doors on the top of southwest tower of the temple. Luke frowned, knowing this was their last stop.

"I've still got one more room to show you, Luke. This is the High Council room. Here is where the Jedi Council would conduct its meetings."

"Wasn't Uncle Ben on the council?" Luke asked.

"Yes, he was." He replied, keying in a code to open the door. The great doors slid open, revealing a large circular room enclosed by large windows overlooking the bustling city. Twelve seats were stationed symmetrically around the room.

Luke spun slowly around in awe in the center of the room, taking in every sight.

"Beautiful, it is. Hm?" A voice called from behind him. Luke froze, aware that it definitely wasn't his father who had said that. He turned to face Anakin, who shrugged with a smile. Luke turned around again to see that seated in one of the chairs was a little green troll-like creature.

"Who are you?" the young boy asked, quirking an eyebrow. The creature chuckled.

"Tell you not of me in his stories, your father did?" the thing looked up at Anakin, "Offended I am, Young Skywalker."

Anakin blushed. "Forgive me, master." Anakin stepped forward, placing a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Luke, this is Grand Master Yoda."

Luke Skywalker fell back slightly, his father holding him steady. Of course he had heard of Yoda. Uncle Ben told many stories of the eight hundred-something year old Jedi. Yet with all of the stories, Luke had pictured the Jedi Master as a little, well, taller.

"Size matters not, young Luke." Yoda stated, as if reading the boy's thoughts.

"How did you-" Luke began.

"The Force, allows me to see what is not seen, it does."

"Woah." was Luke's only reply. Yoda chuckled again.

"Tell me, your father does, of your dreams to be a Jedi."

"Yes, Master." Luke nodded. "Dad's been training me a little. I know how to lift objects with my mind and I can meditate."

"Both important, those are." Yoda nodded. "Discussed, your father and I have, about your future." Luke looked back up at his father, who was now smiling. But there was something else. Were those... tears in his eyes? Luke turned back to Yoda.

"What about my future?" he asked

"Decided, it has been, that train as a Jedi Padawan, you will."

It took a moment for the words to sink for the young boy. His father's grip tightened on his shoulder, an unspoken congratulations. "I'm going to be a Jedi?" he murmured finally. The Grand Master nodded.

"Trained by none other than your father, you will be." He confirmed. Luke looked up at his father.

"Really?" Luke cried, tears springing into his own eyes. Anakin swallowed.

"Yes, Luke." He replied. "But if you'd like to be trained by someone else, I'm sure-" he was interrupted by a hug from his son. Taken slightly aback, it took a moment for Anakin to wrap is arms around his son's shoulders.

"Dad, I wouldn't want to be trained by _anyone_ _else_." he stated adamantly, releasing his choked up father. Luke turned to Master Yoda once again, who was now standing on his chair.

"Luke Skywalker, kneel before the Council." Yoda said, pulling his lightsaber from his belt, igniting it. Luke did as he was told and kneeled, feeling the heat of the lightsaber blade as it came near his shoulder. "By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, dub thee I do: Padawan. " Yoda switched the saber off and smiled at the eleven year old. "You may rise."

Luke stood back up and bowed to the ancient alien. "Thank you so much, Master Yoda." Yoda nodded.

"Dismissed, you are."

Luke turned to face Anakin, who embraced him tightly.

"Thank you, dad." Luke sighed as Anakin released him.

"I'm so proud of you, Luke." he smiled. "Now come on. If we leave now, we could still make it home without getting a scolding from your mother."

Luke nodded and took off with Anakin out the door, heading for their home. Just before leaving Anakin paused, looking back at the old master. He quickly nodded to him a silent thanks. The Jedi Master nodded back, waving him off. Anakin turned and left to catch up with his son.

"Always on the move," a voice stated from next to Yoda. The blue apparition of the late Qui-Gon Jinn appeared beside the Jedi Master. Yoda grunted, smiling.

"Much alike, they are. Dangerous, it could be, putting them together." He said, almost playfully. Qui-Gon chuckled.

"I doubt that, Master. Skywalker's bond with the boy is strong. His family keeps him tethered to the Light."

"Indeed." Yoda nodded. "Commited himself, Skywalker has, to rebuilding the Order. In little time, return we shall. But not as we once were. This times, flexible, we will be. Stronger is the one who can adapt to the changes of time. Learned this from our last opponent I have. With this now known, strong, the Jedi will be. No longer will we be soldiers, but true keepers of the peace."

Yoda smiled at the thought, climbing out of his chair. He and the apparition turned to face the windows overlooking the city. The two Jedi smiled, content. At long last, the nightmares brought on by the darkness had finally come to an end. By the light brought on by Anakin Skywalker's love for is family, the dream was just beginning.

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 _"The darkness is generous, and it is patient, and it always wins. But in the heart of its strength lies weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back._

 _Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars."_

-Matthew Stover, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

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 **There we go! That's the end. I really hope you enjoyed reading my rewrite as much as I enjoyed writing it. But now it's time to move on. I'm already working on another fic, so keep your eyes out for that when it comes, which probably won't be for a month or two depending on how busy I'll get when school starts.**

 **Thank you to all who have kept with me on this, especially scottusa1, Ranger Katie, and GildedHylia. Your reviews and tips really encouraged me to keep going. I really appreciated your constant support.**

 **And everyone else! Every comment, favorite, and follow gave me _that_ much more motivation to keep going. I'd name all of you but there are just too many. Thanks to all of you, this was my most read, most followed, most favorited, and most reviewed fic. I can't thank you all enough.**

 **Now, it is with great pride that I now hit that little "complete" button next to the story's status. Thank you all again.**

 **Until next time!**

 **renny writes**


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